A One Stop franchisee in Birmingham is celebrating a whopping £500,000 boost to his store's turnover in less than a year, all thanks to the power of online sales.
Anish Panchmatia, who operates a 3,000 sq ft One Stop in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, credits the rapid expansion to reaching new customers online. “The shift to developing our online sales has allowed us to reach thousands of new customers beyond our traditional trading area, some up to five miles away," he said. "This has not only helped us keep pace with evolving shopping habits but also significantly increased our turnover.”
John Miller, head of One Stop Franchise, highlighted the company's commitment to helping franchisees tap into the online market: “With 90% of stores now offering an online delivery service, One Stop franchisees are not only expanding their customer reach – online and in store – but significantly boosting turnover.”
Miller explained the company's strategy: “Back in November 2020, we decided to tap into the q-commerce space, initially partnering with Deliveroo, before venturing on to the other emerging platforms such as Uber Eats, and we were the first grocery brand on Just Eat. We’ve now pioneered a multi-aggregator approach, with 75% of our stores providing home delivery on more than one platform."
"Our retailers are demonstrating that online delivery is not a complex or expensive way to grow, and they have our full support behind them in this thriving sector. Anish’s online success is a brilliant example of what can be accomplished and highlights how popular shopping outside of normal trading hours continues to be,” he added.
Panchmatia's unique 24-hour trading licence is a key part of his success story. “Initially, I tested the waters by trading until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights," he explained. "This brought in an extra £1,500 a night by adding just a couple of extra hours. I then increased this to two nights for 24 hours and again sales kept building at a rapid rate.”
Panchmatia's results are truly impressive. “We were £40,000 better off in January than last January – phenomenal! On top of that, this January was better than Christmas last year!” he exclaimed.
His advice to other retailers looking to succeed online is simple: “Don’t hesitate to start selling online. Focus on the growth potential rather than the margins. With multiple revenue streams, including the Post Office, online sales, and food-to-go, there are numerous opportunities for customer engagement and business growth.”
