Nisa retailers are confident that Mary Portas’ recent Secret Shopper TV programme - which featured a family-run Nisa store in Slough in an unfavourable light - has not damaged the brand.
Portas was tasked with ‘fixing’ Hallmark Foods, which was characterised by poor management and under-performance. The store ended up dropping the Nisa fascia on her recommendation, although the retailer remains a member through its independent & specialist unit.
Jamie Keshwara, of Nisa Whittlesey, said most customers realise that Nisa stores are independently owned. “It does affect customers’ perceptions on some level but almost all of them realise it’s just one store, and it doesn’t reflect on the brand,” he told C-Store.
Saki Ghafoor, who runs two Nisa stores in Northumberland and Tyne & Wear, said: “Given the Mary Portas programme focused primarily on the management team and staff at the store, with very little attention given to the brand, there has been no evidence that the programme has had any impact on Nisa or on the retailer involved, with sales at that store static.”
A spokesman for Nisa said: “We’ve received very little feedback from the membership about it, and I suspect that’s largely due to the focus having been very much on the owner and his manager, rather than Nisa. Of the social media posts about the episode, less than 2% even mentioned Nisa.
“We still support the member through our independent & specialist business unit though, and have a good relationship with him.”
2 Readers' comments