Isle of Wight convenience store operator Hunnyhill Stores Group has opened two new Spar stores on the island – and plans to increase its presence still further when it celebrates its 10th anniversary this spring.
The company has recently opened new stores in Ryde and East Cowes, and aims to mark its anniversary with the opening of a 12th store in Lower Ventnor.
Business has flourished for the Hunnyhill Group since it developed its portfolio of Spar stores two years ago.
The company operated three Spar stores in Newport, Sandown and Wroxall before acquiring six additional shops from C I Newsagents Ltd. in Carisbroke, Lake, Newport, Sandown, Ventnor and Wootton Bridge.
Now it has developed its two new stores in a co-investment with Appleby Westward. “You have to take opportunities when they come along and we felt both sites offered a lot of potential,” said Hunnyhill’s managing director John Perrett.
The Ryde store was a former pet shop and redevelopment work has doubled its size to a 900sq.ft. neighbourhood convenience store. Hunnyhill is targeting sales of £14-15,000 a week in the summer.
In East Cowes, the company acquired the former Osborne Garage, a petrol station and forecourt shop which had been closed for a year.
The petrol station has switched to Texaco, while the shop has recently reopened as a 600 sq. ft. Spar forecourt store and business has been brisk.
“Despite its size, we are aiming to make the shop the local convenience store for customers,” said Perrett. “The trick now is to encourage people to come back following its 12 month closure.
“We are the only petrol station in East Cowes and we have every reason to believe both the garage and the forecourt will do well.
“The store is a bit like Dr. Who’s Tardis – we have utilised Appleby Westward’s ‘Growing Taller’ initiative to boost shelf space with bigger gondolas, a large dairy deck and chillers for soft drinks and beers, wines and spirits.”
Hunnyhill Group’s like-for-like sales in its Spar shops (excluding the two new ones) are up 6% year-on-year and the company’s development has given a much-needed fillip to the Spar brand on the island.
“We have helped rebuild the reputation of Spar on the island and customers are very pleased with what we have done,” said Perrett. “They like our deals, which is important as it shows them value.
“We’re very excited about Appleby Westward’s development of its own Eurospar stores. It’s good news for retailers like us, as it increases buying power and enables better deals for us and helps drive up our turnover.”
Group turnover was boosted recently during the winter weather. The rare and unexpected arrival of snow in the Isle of Wight saw Hunnyhill turnover increase by 40% during the period, with one store at Ventnor seeing a 72% increase.
“It was a case of local people finding their local shop again,” he said. “We are working at helping them achieve that, by building a strong group of stores that reflect the modern SPAR convenience image and meet changing customer needs.”
Source: Appleby Westward
