Tailoring its offer successfully to its predominantly student customer base with a great pricing strategy and friendly atmosphere are among the winning ways of New Zealand Wines in Fallowfield, Manchester.
The shop, which was named Independent Retailer of The Year at the Bestway Awards 2023, is based opposite the University of Manchester’s Fallowfield campus, and has become a local institution with students, with prints of the store even sold as graduation presents!
This family-owned business, which has served its local student community for more than 15 years, is run by Muhammad Afzal, who credits the big team effort of the store’s staff for its success.
With two other convenience stores in the same block as New Zealand Wines and a supermarket also nearby, keen pricing is essential to attract and retain its price t-conscious customer base.
Muhammad says: “Most of our items are priced lower than the recommended sale price. We keep prices to a certain level that students can easily afford. Margins are kept to a minimum which drives volume sales. For example, on vapes in the past year we have reduced the price to a margin of 5% profit.”
He adds: “The reason behind our success is that running the store is a team effort. All our staff are trained to make it a friendly experience for customers, especially students.”
New Zealand Wines creates a great atmosphere for its student customers by playing music in the shop, which is open late, in the evenings. It has even featured DJs playing behind the shop counter. The store really understand the student culture and how they live their lives, by ensuring they have extended trading hours the store continues to serve student when they need it most.
The store excels in sales across the key categories of wines, spirits and vape products, due to the highly targeted range at the right price. To further enhance its services, the ore offers a ‘last mile’ delivery service with delivery partners such as Uber Eats and Deliveroo, which accounts for 5% of its sales
