High-profile Londis retailer and former C-Store columnist Sunder Sandher is the latest independent retailer to sign up to the One Stop franchise package, he has announced.
Sunder’s store in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, is to begin the transition from Londis to One Stop next week, prior to a refit and relaunch in mid-late May.
He told C-Store: “I’ve been speaking to One Stop for a year, and I know that now is the right time for me to make the change. It’s tough out there, and as retailers we need to be really professional and this is definitely the right move for me.
“I’ve been happy with Londis for 21 years, but it’s all about taking my business to the next level. It’s not a decision I’ve taken lightly, but it will improve the discipline of our operation. One Stop will increase my sales and my profit and they will make my retail procedures easier. I’ve been really impressed with the support offered by One Stop so far, and the other retailers in the programme that I’ve spoken to. Currently as a Londis, I have to buy extra goods in order to qualify for a rebate, but as One Stop the rebate is linked solely to set criteria about store standards, and if the discipline is good, the sales will follow. I think it’s a good option for retailers.”
Starting next week, a One Stop till will be installed to run in parallel with the Londis equipment during a transition period in order to generate a bespoke store planogram and help staff become familiar with the new processes. A refit is scheduled for 15 May, with the store to open as a full One Stop package the following week.
Under the franchise programme, retailers using the IT system properly benefit from auto replenishment and daily fresh deliveries with no minimum drop.
Sunder added: “I’ve been really happy with Londis, but One Stop is the right demographic for me here, and I know I have to simplify in order to grow. My aim is to run a few more One Stop stores in time.”
35 Readers' comments