Inside Convenience Retailer of the Year 2020: Spar Y Maes, Pwllheli

The 2,999sq ft store underwent a floor to ceiling refit as part of the A.F. Blakemore development programme.

Owner Conrad Davies is the fifth generation of his family to operate the store.

Bakery products are made in-store using local ingredient suppliers.

Hand-prepared pizzas make up part of the store’s extensive fresh offering.

As well as the focus on fresh, the store team has developed an emphasis on shopper missions such as breadkfast which has led to a growth in footfall.

An extensive spirits section which covers all price points is present in the store, bolstered by messages in Welsh to highlight the business’ heritage.

Fresh fruit and veg is a big footfall driver and the business utilises local suppliers to reduce food miles.

The store’s food to go and fresh offerings work hand-in-hand to reduce wastage and offer customers a variety of offerings to suit any meal occasion.

The store has a meat aging cabinet on the shop floor. Management got the idea while at a trade show in Dusseldorf in 2017 prior to the refit and decided that this would be a great addition to the store to create theatre and interest. At Christmas the team purchased a whole prize bull which was butchered on-site and used the cabinet to sell prime cuts off the bone. It created enormous interest and sales from a small footprint.

As part of the store’s refit, the business decided to focus heavily on fresh produce, increasing the space dedicated to the category.

Locally caught fresh lobster may not work in every business but creates a point of difference in Conrad’s store.

Fresh doesn’t just mean food. A colourful flower display creates additional theatre for the store.

The team introduced Electronic Shelf Edge Labels (ESELs) across the store and use Pulse retail intelligence assistant from Market Hub, which helps analyse and monitor key trends in sales, stock and waste - ensuring availability for the customer at all times.