Spar Princess Street, Manchester

Paul Stone is the only Spar operator in Manchester city centre and earlier this year expanded his company’s presence with a fifth store, in Princess Street. The ground floor unit had been unoccupied for many months and Paul and the Spar team used the natural shape of the building to create zones for key missions in the store, which is open 24 hours. The area has a large student population but also a core of permanent residents, office workers and visitors drawn to the city’s vibrant nightlife.

Something for everyone

Central Manchester is home to thousands of students but Princess Street is on the edge of the city centre so the range also has to account for the many customers who are permanent residents.

Sharing packs of snacks and confectionery and large soft drinks bottles are located adjacent to the alcohol section to create a Big Night In zone.

The store is open 24 hours a day but is only licensed to sell alcohol until midnight, so a barrier is drawn across the section when the clock strikes 12.

Performance is already exceeding expectations, says Paul. Average sales are £47k, and nearly reached £50k during Freshers’ Week. Out of term time, the store was still hitting the mid-30s.

Fresh mix

 Paul is very pleased with the store’s sales of fresh and chilled food, with fresh meat a notably good seller. The meat offer drives sales in other categories too, as customers show a liking for cooking from scratch at home.

The store achieves £2.5k- worth of weekly sales in fresh produce, which Paul enhances with attractive impulse displays near the till.

The product mix is favourable for profits, with a high percentage of overall turnover in fresh and prepared food, and relatively low tobacco sales.

A cheeky coffee

Paul has his own coffee brand, Cheeky Coffee, and Princess Street is the first of his stores to include it as part of the food to go offer.

The coffee machine sits alongside Spar’s new Daily Deli concept, offering sweet and savoury treats for breakfast, lunch and throughout the day.

Princess Street sells around 80-85 cups a day, despite a new Starbucks branch opening nearby. Hot food and bake-off sales overall have reached £3k per week.

For customers who want to linger a little longer with their coffee, seats are located at the front of the store alongside the news and magazines selection.

A mixture of packaged and freshly-prepared sandwiches sits on shelf, with meal deals proving popular at breakfast and lunchtime.

Something different

This free cash machine at the back of the shop has proven popular with customers. As it is self-fill, it helps to recycle cash at the 24-hour store, and has also helped make a considerable saving on bank charges, Paul reports.

Paul is always on the lookout for new and original products to sell in store, such as these Minions fleece blankets.

Non food sells well to students, and the range was augmented at the start of term to include more unusual items such as coathangers, door stops and padlocks.

Special offers are also running permanently on basic stationery lines such as A4 pads and pens.