NewsQuality Food Awards

Winners for Musgrave GB at Quality Food Awards

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Quality Food Awards - the most prestigious awards for food and drink products on sale in the UK. For every main category there was a new award for own-label product ranges whose priority is to give consumers maximum value.

Musgrave GB had two winners:

Quality Food AwardsQuality Food AwardsGood Value Assorted Crisps - Bagged Snacks (value category)
Good Value crisps were introduced in early 2009 and appeal to consumers of all ages. Their 18g 'responsible-snack size' is appealing to many consumers and the product has no artificial flavours, colours or MSG.

"This is an excellent value-for-money product", agreed the panel. "It would be a great addition to a lunch box and at 95p for a 12-pack it is extremely good value for money", agreed the panel.

The judges commended the "good, clean and natural flavours" and also praised the clean-looking presentation. "The quality of this product has not been compromised at all as a result of the very competitive price point", concluded the panel.

Quality Food AwardsGood Value Jaffa Cakes - Biscuits (value category)
Good Value Jaffa Cakes are light sponge cakes covered in plain chocolate with orange-flavour filling. After rigorous product benchmarking and blind tasting sessions, this product was launched in early 2009.

Quality Food AwardsThe product has a great balance of tangy orange and soft sponge and the judges were overwhelmed with the amazing value that this product offered.

"Unbelievable, fantastic - they eat well, and the flavour is first class", said one judge. "This really is a tremendous product."

"The packaging is excellent, the box is striking and the chocolate is of a high quality", agreed the panel.

"At 89p per packet I will certainly be heading to the shops to buy some", added one of our judges.

Building on success

Brother and sister team, Dominic Yarnold and Charlotte Juxon chose to officially launch their new store on 31 October and are going from strength to strength, far exceeding the original sales target.

Building on success

Brother and sister team, Dominic Yarnold and Charlotte Juxon chose to officially launch their new store on 31 October with a competition for local children to design and carve their own pumpkin and the chance to win a free bag of sweets every week for a year.

The mayor of Stratford on Avon, Jenny Fradgley, was invited to officially launch the store and judge the competition, awarding the first prize to Ben Deakin, aged 10. Suppliers were also invited to come along to offer free samples, including Simply Suppers, Cuisine de France and Bonds.

The new-build 2,500 sq ft store opened six weeks previously. Feedback from customers has all been good. Now the lottery has arrived and is up and running. So too has the ATM machine, which is free to use for customers.

Budgens wins Warburtons award

Brett and Maria Corder of Budgens, Fakenham have won the Warburtons award for the ‘local product sourcing’ category. They received their trophy and a cash prize at an awards ceremony at the Landmark Hotel, London. The couple, who won the Budgens ‘essentials store of the year’ prize earlier this year are also shortlisted for the Independent Achievers Academy award for ‘environment and sustainability’. Picture shows (left to right): Maria Corder, Andrew Skingley (Independent Retail News magazine), Brett Warburton (executive director) and Brett Corder.

Environmental award win for Budgens retailer

Congratulations to our Budgens retail partner, Andrew Thornton, who has just won the Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM) award for environmental excellence in the category of ‘sustainable retailer of the year’ up against a shortlist that included Asda.

Winners for Musgrave at Asian Trader Awards

Asian Trader Awards 2009Musgrave GB enjoyed a successful evening at the Asian Trader awards, where for the third year running, the overall winner and Asian Trader of the year is a Budgens retailer. This year’s champion is Raj Samani.

Other successful retail partners included:

 

Asian Trader of the year

Raj Samani, Budgens, East Barnet

Raj SamaniFrom its brown ceramic floor tiles to its silver steel tubular light fittings emitting a warm glow effect over mint green bulkheads; from its wonderful range, including fresh meat and fish, bakery, ethnic food and kosher food to premium fruit and veg, fair-trade, organic, local and specialist ranges; from the serenity of its wooden floored off-licence to the buzz of its dedicated customer service desk, trolley tills and express checkout: from its exciting sense of theatre, in-store activities, promotions, tastings, shopperfriendly spaciousness and staff courteousness - this year’s winning store has, according to the Asian Trader judges, propelled the best of UK independent c-store retailing way past even the best of the multiples.

Say the judges: “The store is of a standard that combines excellent execution of retail skills with superb décor and fixtures. On top of that it has that hardest thing of all to achieve - a warm relaxed inviting atmosphere that makes shoppers walk around with smiles on their faces.”

This 3,000sq.ft retail unit on a high street in Hertfordshire has invested £200,000 in improvements to the store.

It has close links with local schools, a career structure for staff, state-of-the-art refrigeration and regular in-store events around Christmas, Easter, Diwali, Jewish festivals and local community festivals. It offers superb availability, superb deals, superb merchandising and superb choice.

 

Asian Trader enterprise award

Sunny Hundal, Budgens, York

Sunny HundalA year and a half ago, Sunny Hundal took over a loss-making corporately owned town centre c-store. He absorbed ongoing losses of £1,000 a month as he sought the public’s views on what they required. Since implementing a raft of changes, turnover at the 2,700 sq ft unit has rocketed.

After consulting local people, Sunny overhauled the store, changing its layout and increasing the product range from 2,000 to 4,000 items. He installed new fridges and no less than six ultra modern kiosk tills for city-centre impulse customers. In the event of his winning, Sunny makes a special mention of the dedication of his staff and store manager Jessica Fox.

 

Asian Trader health and beauty retailer of the year

Kash Jaffar, Budgens, Milton Keynes

Kash JaffarThe health and beauty section can be one of the trickiest to merchandise. Kash Jaffar’s winning store offers no less than 42 linear metres of health and beauty products and no less than 500 products altogether. The seasonal opportunities of the health range are maximised with a strong focus on cold cures in winter and hayfever cures in summer. The beauty section incorporates products for both sexes, including some expensive ladies’ products that are skillfully ranged to discourage theft.

Apart from its great health and beauty range, Kashs’ store is absolutely first class in every department. This huge supermarketsized unit specialises in fresh produce, has a fully staffed deli, wonderful deals and promotions and recently underwent a £50,000 refit.



Winners for Musgrave at IGD Food Industry Awards

A successful evening for Musgrave at the IGD Food Industry Awards:


Budgens rewards local hero with 'Driver Of The Year 2009' title



Tony Hunt, a Budgens driver based in Wellingborough, has won the prestigious Musgrave GB Driver Of The Year competition 2009. Hunt was chosen out of the 283 drivers across the four retailer service centres (RSCs) that facilitate Budgens and Londis stores for Musgrave Retail Partners GB.

Hunt has worked for Musgrave Retail Partners GB for four years, delivering to Budgens stores and had a particularly outstanding year in his role. In January 2009 he delivered to a store and interrupted a robbery where the store owner was being threatened and attacked. Hunt bravely stepped in and, to prevent the shopkeeper from any further abuse, he tackled the man to the floor and managed to hold him until the police arrived. The man had many previous convictions and thanks, in part, to Hunt’s actions is now facing prosecution.

Hunt also has an excellent attendance record and has been commended for his commitment and ability to think outside the box in difficult situations. Examples include being the first driver to get back in when the local estate was cut off in the snow earlier this year and, on a separate occasion during this period, when he could not get to his store at Kettering, he got a passing farmer to tow him off the ice, thereby enabling him to complete his delivery.

Tony Hunt secured the title ahead of finalists from the three other RSCs. Rob Davy from Thamesmead, South Elmsall’s Kevin Robinson and Richard Baish based at Andover, are all Londis drivers and great ambassadors for Musgrave Retail Partners GB.

Winner Hunt said “I’m honoured to have been nominated as ‘driver of the year’ doing a job I very much enjoy, and to win the title is absolutely fantastic”.

Scott Wharton, Musgrave Retail Partners GB Supply Chain Director, said “We are proud of the fantastic team of drivers that service the Budgens and Londis stores for Musgrave Retail Partners GB and it’s a therefore a real achievement for the four regional winners who’ve stood out. We’re particularly delighted for Tony Hunt, he’s a real inspiration, not just for his bravery this year, but his ability to get the job done, no matter what, day in day out. He thoroughly deserves this title.”


Five Winners for Musgrave GB at Retail Industry Awards

A successful evening for Musgrave GB at the Retail Industry Awards with four awards for Budgens and one for Londis.

Budgens retail partner Guy Warner won three awards:
Community Retailer of the Year, Independent - for Warner's Budgens Independent Retailer of the Year, 1001-2999 sq ft - for Warner's Budgens Broadway Independent Retailer of the Year 3000 sq ft and over - for Warner's Budgens Moreton-in-Marsh

 

Londis retail partner Dee Sedani won Independent Newsagent of the Year

Budgens won Fresh Produce Retailer of the Year, Independent Company Owned

Musgrave Retail Partners NI Gwen Patterson from Centra Moat Filling Station was Highly Commended in the Community Retailer of the Year category

Congratulations to all our winners


Musgrave GB Triumphs Again at 2009 Forecourt Trader Awards

Musgrave retail partners won 12 awards at this year's Forecourt Trader Awards, with 8 awards going to Londis Multiple Account holder Sewell Retail, including the overall winner's award of Forecourt Trader of the Year to Patrick Sewell. Last year's champions Philip & Lesley Tout of Tout's Budgens, Nailsea also won 3 awards.

Full Musgrave results as follows:


Independent Achievers' Academy Top 100 Named

Now in its fourth year, the Independent Achievers’ Academy has published its top 100 independent shops list that recognises the best local retailers and their staff.

Once again, Musgrave’s retail partners have excelled, scooping 18 of the top 100 places, outstripping Premier (8), Nisa (3), Coscutter (1) and Spar (0). 

The academy culminates in a gala dinner in London in November, when the finalists are invited to come along and the overall best local retailer is named.  Last year Musgrave’s retail partners won a total of seven awards on the evening, including the overall best local retailer, which went to Terry and Melanie Philpott, Londis, Castle Cary.

The top 18 Musgrave retail partners listed are:

Budgens, Fakenham
Londis, Liversedge
Londis, Dorrington
Londis, Leamington Spa
Londis, Etwall
Londis, Matlock
Londis, New Whittington
Londis, Wigston
Londis, Ascot
Londis, Cold Ash
Londis, Dartford
Londis, Hermitage
Londis, Lindford
Londis, Stroud Green
Londis, Watford
Londis, Castle Cary
Supervalu, Craigavon
Centra, Donaghadee


Budgens £1 Bakery Deals Drive 50% Sales Growth

Budgens continues to support its retail partners and strengthen its reputation for value for money with the introduction of £1 price points on a number of core Budgens own-brand bakery products.

Key deals include crusty white rolls (4 pack) down from £1.29 to £1.00; demi baguettes (3 pack) down from £1.19 to £1.00 and Belgian buns (2 pack) down from £1.19 to £1.00.

Following successful trials at Paul and Michelle Gravelle’s Budgens store in Sawston and Kevin Whalley’s Budgens in Chalfont, this new pricing strategy is being rolled out to all Budgens stores.  Says Dan Quest, Budgens sales director: “The sales uplift seen on the products at a £1 price point, when merchandised in volume, has far exceeded the 50% growth target set.  The £1 price point provides confidence to drive and grow sales.”

Doughnuts (5 pack) have already been rolled out to all Budgens retailers, price marked £1, with a resulting 40% uplift in wholesale sales.  Alongside these deals, Budgens is offering Hovis on promotion at £1 for an 800g loaf.

Retailers will be supported with a point-of-sale package to communicate the deals to shoppers, including shelf barkers, A4 cards, arrow cards, posters and shelf strips.

Bakery is one of the biggest drivers for attracting customers into a store and this new pricing strategy is part of the ongoing Budgens bakery activity to help retailers drive sales and profits.  Retailer guides, including merchandising advice, have been sent to all retailers to enable them to make the most of this sales growth opportunity.


Musgrave Retail Partners GB Support Retailers With Store Development Investment

As the economic climate continues to challenge businesses, Musgrave Retail Partners GB persists in looking for ways to assist its retailers, putting them at the heart of everything it does. The latest investment is in store development, with the principle aim of further improving specifications, developing brands and driving down costs without compromising quality.

Via a raft of innovative processes including competitive tendering; improved negotiations and collective buying; focus on regional contractors; the introduction of a web based management system and the utilization of energy saving materials, our Development Team has refreshed the whole store development process.

Refrigeration

After a year long review, using the e-tender process and rigorous testing undertaken by Bristol University, specification and criteria for cabinet refrigeration have been set at the highest possible benchmark. Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) standards have now been met as well as European best in class quality and approval by the Enhanced Technology List (ETL).  A complete review of the supplier base model has also been carried out and equipment ranked upon whole life cost projections, energy efficiency and capital investment, resulting in a cost per unit decrease of almost 30%. Julian and Jackie Taylor-Green of Londis, Linford, invested in this latest refrigeration in a recent refit and are now able to offer a considerably improved range of chilled products.

The next step is to review the mechanical and electrical systems and although final results are not due until the autumn, there has already been a 10% reduction in costs.

Lighting

We are one of the few companies to work with the Carbon Trust and our review and new specifications are based on their recommendations as well as complying with cost saving ECA schemes. New lighting systems are more energy efficient (Light Output Ratio (LOR) -20%) with an increased reflective focus drawing customer’s eyes to prime areas/products. By embracing the latest technology we believe that we now have the most energy efficient lighting on offer, with a guide price saving of 25% on annual running costs. Our suppler partner, iGuzzini, also achieves cost savings of approximately 35%. Budgens in Cosford was a pilot store for the new lighting system and are delighted with both the results and their lower utility overheads.

Counters

We have reviewed existing specifications and the new designs offer functionality and additional opportunity for customer spend. Injection moulding and bonding reduce set up costs and the counters are the best in class supporting a new resin style, polished ash veneers, revised bag dispenser technology, security screens and sensors, all re-branded in Budgens/Londis colours. Environmental considerations have been made at all stages with a 90% reduction of landfill waste and all sheet materials obtained from renewable sources.

Steve Bassett, Londis, Weymouth and Guy Warner Budgens in Moreton-on-the-Marsh included these state of the art counters in their latest refits and now have the potential to return a life saving of 40% per unit.

Fascias/Imagery

One of the most important areas for any store is consistency of brand identity and messaging. Through value engineering and innovation we have designed state of the art one piece flexible fascias with energy saving LED back lights. These new products are lighter, recyclable, drive down refit costs and offer savings of 30%.

So far in 2009, 100 Budgens and Londis stores have undergone refits and there are many more planned going forward.

Jemima Bird, Musgrave Retail Partners GB Marketing Director said “Store development is an integral part of our focus on developing our brands and putting our retail partners at the heart of all that we do. The team have worked closely with manufacturers and suppliers to get the best in class products whilst giving our retailers unrivalled opportunities for cost savings on the optimal equipment available.”


£1 Promotions Drive Budgens and Londis Fresh Sales

A raft of £1 promotional offers on fresh produce are driving sales by up to six-fold in Budgens stores and have now been introduced into Londis stores as well, as Musgrave Retail Partners GB continues to develop its brands, improving the brand images for value for money.

In the latest promotional period, sales of £1 packs of grapes increased by 550% and potatoes by 250% in Budgens stores.

Says Jemima Bird, Musgrave Retail Partners GB marketing director: “The £1 deals are supported with a point-of-sale package that includes banners, wobblers, hanging arrows and posters.  At least five fresh produce items will be available every three-weekly promotional period for a healthy £1 each and flagged up on consumer leaflets.

Says Kevin Whalley, who owns Budgens stores in Chalfont St Peter, Bedfont and Langley: “In the current climate this is a fantastic tool to drive sales and volume and at the same time give customers just what they’re looking for.  It gives the perception of great value and we’ve seen huge uplifts in sales as a result.”

Arjan Mehr, Londis, Bracknell adds: “It’s good to give customers a value perception with a degree of quality, and these £1 deals do this extremely well.  They’re really impactful compared to other offers.  It’s a great idea and these deals are going down really well in our store.”


New Partnership with Budgens

Brian Ellinson has left Nisa to partner with Musgrave Retail Partners GB and trade as Budgens, becoming the northernmost store in the group, located in the village of Woodford, Cheshire.

The meat technologist and butcher-turned-convenience-store proprietor was recommended to make the switch by a retail consultant. “I immediately went down to have a look at one of the Budgens stores in the Cotswolds and I’ve been talking to the group ever since,” says Ellinson.

Now, rebranded both inside and outside to the latest Budgen’s specification, the 2,000 sq ft store has been officially reopened by the local councillor, and loyal customer, Brian Leck.

Ellinson is delighted with the work carried out to refit and remerchandise the store to house more fresh foods, more refrigeration and a better alcohol selection.  “I can’t believe the effort that Budgens has put in here and I’m really pleased with the results.  I wanted to attract more customers by giving them a broader range of fruit and veg – and that’s what I’ve done,” he says.

Ellinson reckons he will easily meet the end-of-year forecast turnover of £28,000. “Sales had started to slump before and the smile goes off your face when you lose takings. You need to put that smile back on your face. I’ve done that now,” he adds.


New Stores

Budgens PortisheadAt the beginning of March 2009, Budgens began opening 13 stores acquired from the Co-Operative Group. One store was already a Co-op, and the other 12 of these stores had recently been acquired by the Co-op from Somerfield. The stores are located across the U.K. from Dodworth in Yorkshire, to Honiton in Devon.

The stores underwent an impressive transition in just 4 days, which included a new fascia, new EPOS system, new in-store POS, stock merchandising, a deep clean and most importantly staff training.

At this stage the stores are not being fully refitted, as they will be taken over by independent retailers in the not too distant future, who will want to refit and make the store their own.

The staff team at each store have remained mostly unchanged.

New stores are now located in:

Holbeach (Lincs)
Honiton (Devon)
Hedge End (Southampton)
Dodworth (Barnsley)
Chingford (Essex)
Belvedere (S.E. London)
Buntingford (Herts)		   Chatteris (Lincs)
Old Catton (Norwich)
Whitstable (Kent)
Broadstone (Dorset)
Portishead (Somerset)
Swanage (Dorset)		 Budgens of Old Catton

We are committed to listening to customer comments, so if you have any feedback you would like to communicate to us, please do so by clicking on the ‘Contact Us’ section on our website, and then following the link ‘Could we do better?’


Sunny Side Up
Sunny Hundal has two Budgens – one in York and one in Woodhall Spa – but they are, he says, like chalk and cheese

The one thing in common between Sunny Hundal’s two stores is that one has just had a refresh refit and the other is about to have a major overhaul. Sunny saw room for improvement in both and drew on both family experience and Musgrave assistance to reach his ideal standards.

Sunny, who turned 31 on New Year’s Eve, says he has been in retailing “since I came out of my nappy”. Born into a retailing family in Bournemouth, Sunny took on the divested Budgens in Woodhall Spa in September 2007. In March 2008 he took on a city-style store inside York’s city walls. He already owns a couple of small independent stores in Bournemouth but says that he was inspired to take on the bigger Budgens outlets after seeing the success that his older brother Jinx had made of two Norfolk Budgens at Sheringham and Cromer with his business partner Paul Burnell.

Sunny’s two stores are around 90 miles apart. “Logistically do-able,” says Sunny. “But I’d like a third store in between to make the journey more worthwhile. There are plenty of opportunities between the two.”

City smart
His latest store is in historic Micklegate. The street takes its name from the old English word ‘mickle’ meaning great or main as it was once the main street into York.

Not many supermarkets are allowed inside the walls and, at just under 3,000 sq ft, the store benefits from Sunday trading on top of a very busy week.

“There are 2-3,000 workers within a mile of this store,” says Sunny. “It’s right in the heart of things but it had a lot of frustrated customers. It was old and tired with nothing fresh about it, a very limited offering and a poor layout.

“We’ve invested in a refit which opened it up, improved the tills and the queuing and we now offer freshly prepared sandwiches and pizzas and fresh grab and go coffee.”

The refit took five days and was promoted via a leaflet drop offering 10 crazy deals on the day. “We still have people coming in and saying we’ve increased the size of the store.” When sales had achieved an uplift of 20% after the refit, he took the staff paint-balling to celebrate.

“I’m very proud of my team. With Jess Fox, my store manager and his assistants Didi and Paula and the rest of the staff, I’d like to think I’ve got the best bunch on the whole estate.

I have to give my brother Jinx a lot of credit though for his ongoing advice.

The Job

And the villiage life...
When Sunny first took over the store at Woodhall Spa he had to make a number of key changes. “But luckily there was my rock, store manager Alan Rider,” says Sunny. “And 16 months later the store is exactly where we want it to be. This year we’re going into a £300K refit.”

The village is a very traditional English one and the store previously had a limited range. “The whole thing needed a fresh pair of hands, eyes and imagination.”

He set up a meeting to get customer feedback and got an excellent turnout. This resulted in going from no local products to quite a big locally-sourced range, all coming from within 10 miles. Now there are tasting days once a month with suppliers setting up both inside and outside the store. He says the turnout is fantastic.

Woodhall remains Sunny’s first love. “This is my big baby. I really enjoy the village life – it’s very pretty here.”

He has gone from four staff at Bournemouth to 90 between his two Budgens in less than two years. “It’s 10 times the risk but 10 times the rewards,” he concludes.