CBE customer, Sewell Retail, has been selected to compete for the 2013 International Convenience Retailer of the Year Award.

Insight and NACS announced a record 20 companies are competing for the award with convenience and forecourt retailers from 13 countries vying for the title.

As part of the profile of the group, Sewell Retail has highlighted the importance of the CBE EPoS system to the successful running of their operation.  Sewell’s profile can be viewed below or you can visit http://www.globalcstorefocus.com/awards/Sewell-Retail for more details.

Sewell Retail

Sewell launches new On the Go format in Hull West

Independent fuel retailer, Sewell Retail, has launched a new On the Go format store at its Hull West site.

The new build store on a former site represents a £1m business investment and has transformed a 700sq ft store into a 2,400sq ft retail outlet offering Costa Coffee and fuel from BP.

New development

Sewell Retail is ranked 21st among the UK’s biggest independent fuel retailers in the UK. The newly-developed store offers over 2,500 products and serves 450,000 customers per annum.

It has wide aisles, a comfy seating area for 17, seven toilets, free Wi-Fi; a parcel collection point through Collect+, 24 hour opening plus two free ATMs.

On the forecourt it offers parking facilities for up to 22 HGVs and 20 cars. As a trading partner of Musgrave, Sewell is able to draw on over 350 Supervalu own label products in-store. It also offers a large range of fresh and chilled foods including hot food-to-go, hot dogs and nachos.

Coffee sales up 100%

The Costa Coffee and hot snacks are sited at self-serve stations with a welcoming seating area nearby. According to Sewell, coffee sales are up 100% year-on-year.

The store offers a well-stocked range of chilled soft drinks and alcohol and convenient home meal solutions plus impulse lines.

Local produce is a key feature too and includes bread, eggs, ice cream and beer plus household fuels.

Sewell Retail: Top 10 place to work

People development is a key area of focus for Sewell. It has achieved 3 star extraordinary status, a top seal of approval, for four years running; and is a Times’ Top 10 place to work.

A strategy to engage in till point conversations has increased Lottery sales by 60%; while placing a work station at the front of house for the manager and supervisors has ensured key personnel are on the shop floor. New employees, meanwhile, benefit from over 30 hours of intense training. There is also a dedicated online staff training area.

Numerous customer service initiatives have been introduced including customer facing till screens, a range of promotions to drive loyalty, a twitter account to keep shoppers informed about the latest offers plus a customer feedback board.

Investing in technology

Sewell has invested in new technology too. To get access to better and more timely accurate information it has a new centralised IT system and is able to efficiently analyse and react to data from the pumps and off the shelves.

The customer facing screens at till points are also used to inform shoppers of key messages and promotions.

From an environmental perspective, the site has 100% LED lighting, which reduces energy usage by 75%.

The store also makes the most of natural light with automatic timing devices and sensors and has put doors on chiller cabinets.

As a result, Sewell said the service station uses up to 30% less energy than a conventional store.

New format

Hull West was the first store to feature the new On the Go format. It has since been rolled out to a further three sites. Eight more are planned for 2013.

Hull West is also being improved with the addition of new toilet facilities and showers plus an upgrade to the commercial parking area.

The results? In the first quarter of 2013 versus the first quarter in 2012 Hull West’s total shop sales are up 42% and fuel sales are up 2%. Footfall is up by 13% while the average basket spend is up by 26% and increasing week on week.

Ambitions

Sewell has ambitions for the site too. It is targeting sales of £40,000 per week and 10,000 customers per week (it currently attracts around 8,500 per week). And, it is aiming to increase the spend at the pumps by over 14%.

The planned service station improvements plus market research and customer loyalty campaigns will help it hit those goals.