The Musgrave company-owned Budgens store in Broadstone, Dorset, is the group’s laboratory outlet, where new products and concepts are trialled prior to a rollout across the group. Refitted and relaunched in October, the site has been laid out around shopper missions, with a particular focus on meal solutions for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is a dedicated section for evening meals at home, including a wide section of premium ready meals and new prepared dishes. About 20 new local producers, supplying 100 lines in total, are also given pride of place. C-Store paid a visit to find out more
FRESH AND LOCAL
Fresh produce greets customers as they enter
The bakery table displays sweet and savoury goods baked in store that morning. The Cronado, a cross between a croissant and a donut, is particularly popular
Budgens worked closely with Oakley Village Butchers and the Dorset Brewing Company to produce a unique sausage for the store. The beef and ale sausage was named the Broadstone Banger by one of the store’s customers via a Facebook promotion
The store also sells local rabbit, shot on Sunday within five miles of the store, and ready for sale on the Monday.
Local producers are regularly given a presence in store on ‘Tasting Tuesdays’. When C-Store visited Keith Spicer Ltd was showing the company’s Dorset Tea brand
MEAL SOLUTIONS
Upmarket ready meals from Cook, Charlie Bingham’s and Musgrave own brands are given pride of place in the ‘meal for tonight’ section of the store
A range of ‘Prepared For You’ dishes contain an entire meal to heat and serve at home. The range also includes stir-fry and noodle kits
An enhanced wine section, including fine wines displayed in wooden boxes, are designed to boost the basket spend per trip. A local wine merchant supplies some lines exclusively to the store.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Manager Nigel Hughes runs a tight ship, and staff are kept busy.
The store relaunched in October, with a mini pumpkin containing a money-off voucher door dropped to nearly 3,000 local homes.
The store offers ‘Free Coffee Friday’, whereby shoppers spending over £10 get a free coffee.
Since the relaunch, fresh sales are up 51%, ready meals are up by 87% and shop sales overall have increased by more than 25%. This is despite a Tesco Express outlet directly next door.
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