Nisa has recruited more than 500 stores in the past year, delivering a 40 per cent increase in outlets signing up with the Scunthorpe convenience specialist on 2018.
Key drivers for the growth have been identified as record availability levels, improvements to delivery services and continued investment in store format and point of sale equipment.
Steve Leach, sales director at Nisa, said: “Last year was a very good year for Nisa, recruitment-wise, so it is compelling evidence of the strength of Nisa’s offer that we have beaten last year’s figures so comprehensively. It was a strategic decision of the business to change its approach to recruitment this year and I’m proud of the team and the part they’ve played in delivering that strategy.”
How this builds on the latest 1,400 members with 4,000 stores figures is being analysed, with the roll-out of Co-op own brand following the £127 million acquisition in 2018 playing its part too.
It was described as a “major game changer for the wholesale business” with more than 2,000 lines, including the festive range stocked, and accounting for £2.5 million sales per week.
Promotional alignment between Nisa and Co-op is also bringing sector-leading deals, the Waldo Way team said.
On conversion, convenience stores see on average a 12 per cent uplift in sales.
Chris Moore, new business channel controller for Nisa, said: “As part of the Co-op family, our partners have access to a fantastic range coupled with industry-leading service and support. We continue to invest in our support teams and new store formats to help our partners operate more profitably. The introduction of Co-op own brand into the Nisa supply chain has been a big draw for new partners.”
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One such new recruit who has benefited from joining Nisa and gaining access to the growing proposition is Jeremy Hughes, who runs the Nisa Local in Holt, near Wrexham.
He said: “We have had lots of positive comments from our customers since we launched. We have been in the village a long time and know most shoppers by name and I like to think I know my customers well, but I have been really surprised by how much they like the Co-op range.
“It’s early days, but it is all going well. Having access to the Co-op range has allowed me to get all the benefits of stocking such a great quality range at a good price, but I still get the advantages of being an independent.”
Another satisfied new recruit, Alex Kapadia of Whitehills Supermarket, Northampton - a 2,500 sq ft store in the heart of a busy community – saw sales jump from £12,000 to £40,000 a week following completion of a re-fit to Nisa’s new Evolution store format.
The surge in new stores is supported by the retention of key account partners, with long-standing Nisa retailer Tuffins Supermarket, among other high profile businesses, having recently signed a new long term contract with Nisa Retail, committing their future to the buying group.
“We’re very happy with our relationship with Nisa and, with the unrivalled own brand offer now available from the Co-op, we don’t believe there is anything else out there that works for us,” said Harry Delves, commercial director for Tuffins. A new five year deal will see the relationship span 40 years, as reported last month. “The range and variety available to us through Nisa, that blends so well with our local suppliers, makes Nisa the right choice for us and we are glad to be committing our future to Nisa.”
Nisa is moving towards its second anniversary of working with the Co-op, and 2020 will be a pivotal year for the business. To build on the growth it is accelerating recruitment, with retailers still having the option to join Nisa as a symbol or independent fascia business, or via the Co-op franchise model or the soon to be launched business development partnership scheme, which will provide independent retailers with an alternative way of working with Nisa.
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