Size doesn’t matter in Shalford

A young retailing couple who run a modest 850 sq.ft. store in Surrey are proving it’s not size that matters, but what you do with it that really counts.

The store was re-fitted in October to make better use of the space and re-focus on fresh produce.

And in the last two months, turnover for chilled produce has doubled from 16 per cent of the total store sales to 30 per cent, with no sign of it slowing down.

Frank and Adrienn Ago, who opened Snooty Fox Groceries in Shalford in 2013, expanding their business from the coffee shop venture just around the corner, said demand for fresh fruit and vegetables and other chilled items is growing fast in the village.

“When we had the re-fit we knew we needed to concentrate on expanding our space for chilled and so we installed new chillers and added lots of new lines from the Co-op own label range, including many items that have just been made available to us in the latest release,” said Frank.

Space is at a premium with minimum storage room meaning the shop runs on a ‘just in time’ principle which sees deliveries arriving at the store and going straight onto shelves.

Frank explained: “Our deliveries arrive at the store, come straight out of the lorry in the cages and are unpacked immediately onto the shelves because space is so tight.”

And the slick operation appears to be working well for the couple who originate from Hungary, with sales continuing to creep upwards and fresh food driving the business forward successfully.

“Our aim is to maximise every shelf in the store and ensure all our stock moves fast,” said Frank.