Conquering customer demand in Coventry

A step into the unknown for a retailing family from Coventry with more than 30 years of experience has proven to be a roaring success as they approach their first year of trading.

Since opening the 2,000 sq. ft store in the city centre in early 2019, the Millennium View store has enjoyed sales growth every month with no signs of it slowing down.

And as the Dougall family head towards the first anniversary of the opening of the development, they are confident plans for next year will further enhance sales which currently average between £45 and £50,000 per week.

Ricky Dougall, who operates the store alongside his brothers and sister, said: “We had been looking to get a second store for some time and were excited to start trading at Millennium View because it provided us with a completely different shopper demographic. 

“Our new store has been a real challenge for us to conquer as it is so different from our other store in which we see the same customers day in, day out and have built relationships with over many years.”

Since opening in February 2019, the store has reviewed its range and made numerous new additions to ensure the offer meets the needs of its customers.

F’Real milkshake and Rollover hotdogs are the latest additions to the store which complement the existing Costa Express and hot food counter – all popular with the passing customers as well as the university students who live in accommodation immediately above the store in purpose-built halls of residence.

Sales are also being driven through Deliveroo which sees significant orders, particularly during the night with the store operating 24 hours a day.

Next plans involve installation of three self-scan checkouts to reduce queue times for busy shoppers and, Ricky said, there are always new ideas to test.

“You can’t afford to stand still and I believe we have quite a lot of room for growth over the next few years so we will keep at it and work hard to ensure the store keeps growing and our customers are getting exactly what they need from us.”