Three more Costcutter stores complete Shopper First refits

Three more Costcutter stores have completed major refits as part of the group’s Shopper First programme.

Two independent Costcutters in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire and in Sheldon, Birmingham – as well as a company-owned store in Fremington, Devon - have utilised insights provided by their Shopper First dashboard to tailor their offer to local shopper profiles.

The stores are now enjoying substantial sales growth, with Huntingdon reporting sales increases of over 20% since introducing its new look and ranges.

Costcutter Fremington used the Shopper First programme to pinpoint the ‘rock & roll generation’ of active 55 to 64 year olds to grow its customer base and drive sales. With its target shopper persona liking to cook with fresh ingredients, the store now boasts an expansive range of fresh fruit and vegetables, an array of gluten-free products and a far wider selection of food-to-go options.

The 1,500 sq ft Costcutter in Huntingdon is located near residential and industrial estates and identified those with lower disposable income and time-short families as target core customers.

Commenting on the refit, owner Sagar Patel said: “We’ve redesigned the store to bring people in from dawn ‘til dusk for quick mealtime solutions. Our main focus has been on chilled ‘meal for tonight’ options which really appeal to our local community and our investment in expanding food-to-go is proving particularly popular.”

The refit included increasing the chilled food section by 40%, fresh fruit and vegetables by more than 50%, beer, wine and spirits by 30% and introducing an extensive food-to-go section, complete with Costa Coffee, hot snacks and new in-store bakery.

Costcutter in Sheldon is in a busy residential area and identified young professionals as its key shopper persona, with time-tight families a close second. With food-to-go and quick meal solutions a focus, the 2,000 sq ft store has invested in becoming a full-service mini supermarket.

Store owner Rekha Godhania said: “We’ve expanded the range of chilled and fresh produce and extended our beer, wine and spirits offer to create all-important meal solutions, and also introduced a new food-to-go section complete with Tchibo coffee, sandwiches, Roll-over hotdogs and a new in-store bakery.

“In the month since opening, we’ve seen basket spend increased 100%, with word of mouth continuing to drive new footfall in to store.”

The Shopper First programme was designed to provide retailers with detailed insight into their local demographic. To date 10 Shopper First stores have opened, with a total of 20 earmarked by the end of the year.