What’s keeping my till ringing?

She says: “Since Londis started supplying us with fresh and chilled products, our sales have gone up about £2.5k extra per week. We also do deals for people who want a meal, side and alcohol drink together which has really helped drive footfall.

“Our store has always done well with fresh products. The uni students who come here like to have something that is good for them but that they can also cook quickly in the oven or microwave.

“We recently worked with the team at Premier and Booker to create little leaflets with recipes for people to try at home or while on the campus. We start with the basics like cheese on toast and then work up to a full meal.

“Some of the kids that come to our store have never been away from home before so we have to offer them a bit of support. The good thing is that all the products in the recipe leaflet are available in store so they don’t have to go elsewhere to stock up.

“Anything we can do with our fresh and chilled range to increase sales is a good thing and if someone requests a certain product then we will try our hardest to get it. We have a really good relationship with local suppliers so we can usually find what people are looking for.

“Some of the highlights include Eat Real’s quinoa chips and Barebells protein bars. We sell loads of both because they are the type of snacking products that students can eat on-the-go at this time of year. They also fit in with all the health trends around flexitarianism, veganism and vegetarian eating.

“As a store that mostly caters for students, we have to keep on top of these things. It has become a lot easier to get more niche and free from products now than it was a few years ago. 

“When we first got the veggie and vegan products in the store, it wasn’t something that most c-stores did. Even with our meat, we have to be careful about what we stock because it has to be halal for our Muslim and international students.”

Star performers: “Fresh and chilled is the top category for our store and snacks like protein bars and healthy crisps have also grown massively.”

Successful NPD

“The new lines from Urban Eat have been a huge success, especially the ones that are vegetarian and vegan.We weren’t too happy when they moved down south because they used to be local and could delivery to us really quickly, but the products are fantastic for our student customers.”

Urban Eat added two limited edition variants to its range in March, to create a collection of sandwiches for the summer months.

A vegan chipotle chickpea & avocado flavour was included in the range alongside a Wiltshire ham & applewood smoky cheddar sandwich - combining British ingredients with a mustard slaw and a smoked onion chutney.

The summer sandwiches are available to retailers in the convenience channel until 18 August, and each one carries an rrp of £2.79.