Changes made during Covid outbreak help forecourt store boost takings by 75%

The store at Pocklington Services found that during the Covid outbreak commuter footfall fell dramatically, but this was replaced by a new sort of customer, those using the store for their main grocery shop.

Umar Patel, director of Brookfield Retail, which owns the site, said the focus of the store needed to change to give the new customers what they wanted.

He said: “When lockdown happened last year, local people started coming into the store because they saw that they didn’t have to queue, and they felt safe.

“We were getting lots of new customers and they wanted good quality, fresh products.

“The promotions worked well but we knew if we wanted to retain the new customers, we needed to give them a store and a range that they loved.”

The store has added more chilled and frozen products, increased its grocery range and brought in higher gondolas to fit extra shelves into each bay.

The store now has more than 300 Co-op own brand lines across chilled and frozen and a further 500 in ambient.

The premium frozen range Gourmade is also available and selling well.

Umar added: “People are using the store as a destination shop now because we are offering them the range that they need.

“Shoppers are coming in and filling their baskets and since the shop fit-out we have just been getting busier and busier.”