However, squeezed margins and a dramatic drop in fuel revenue has hit independents the hardest. As the entirety of Irish retail reopens, the challenge now is to bring footfall and revenue back to the sector.

“I don’t think there is anybody who is still closed who is intent on continuing in business,” says CSNA CEO, Vincent Jennings. “Every day you stayed closed your previous customers are establishing new patterns and new relationships with other outlets. You don’t want to be left behind.”

Certainly, members of the Convenience Stores & Newsagents Association (CSNA), have not lagging behind in regards to updates on quick changing government policy. During the three-month lockdown, Vincent and his team worked hard to make available detailed and bespoke COVID-19 information for its members, both on its website and through newsletters.

“We tried to prevent information overload,” he says. “But at the same time, there is really important information that people need to receive such as the Restart Grant and Return to Work Safely Protocol.”

Retailers who have not shut their doors during the crisis may think they are exempt from any return to work legislation but the CSNA is keen to clear up any confusion.

“It absolutely does apply to every business and you need to have a clear plan to show the Health & Safety authority what your organisation has been doing to make it safe for the public and staff. As part of our information on this we have been showing people exactly how to carry out proper assessments for return to work,” says Vincent.

To read more of our interview with Vincent Jennings, view our first ever digital-only issue for free here. 

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In 2018 Maxol added to its food-to-go offer in company-owned sites with grab-and-go stations for hot deli items. However, Brian believes this model will be less popular with customers post pandemic.

“How we manage food service will be different,” explains Maxol CEO Brian Donaldson. “There will be an even greater focus in terms of packaging the product for pick up and go. Open salad bars will not be there for the foreseeable future as people don’t have the confidence in who will have touched the product before them. We do see a move to more products being packaged in terms of bakery and meal solutions. What we must do now is make sure that we show our customers we have the best and the right hygiene and sanitisation measures across all our stores.”

Plans are already well advanced to adapt Maxol’s traditional deli model with more prepared food to help reduce queue times by moving to faster delivery of service, which is being overseen by Food Concepts Manager Aoife Kearney.

Going forward, retailers may have to decide on how to repurpose their in-store seating areas.

“I’m not sure a large majority of customers will want to use seating areas anytime soon, so we need to look at how we use that space as we move through the pandemic. Some of the floor area can be used for queuing to maintain social distancing and it is mostly likely that a decision will be made for each site depending on demand for sit-in service.”

While there have been many learnings to take from this period, especially on how retail might look in the future, the use of technology instore has become imperative. Most convenience stores are not set up in the same way as the multiples to effortlessly roll out home delivery and click and collect, but Maxol-owned stores have been rising to the challenge.

“In the future our stores will become more of a pick-up point – we’ve seen a huge increase in demand for these services as well as mobile payments both for fuel and in-store purchases.

“We have learned the value of technology and how it has enabled us to run our business remotely. Prior to this, I would have been quite sceptical about the benefits of remote working, but now feel it will have a larger part to play in terms of how we work as a business.”

To read our full interview with Brian Donaldson click here to subscribe to our forthcoming free digital issue. 

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Raylene McCaughy, manager of McCaughey’s Service Station, located a near the border, knows exactly what it takes to compete in the forecourt and convenience industry as an independent.

Speaking to Raylene she alluded to the advantages and opportunities that can be afforded to numerous independents such as McCaughey’s Service Station, which is backed by Musgrave MarketPlace. Talking about the current revamp that their store is undergoing, Raylene suggested that due to the independent nature of the family run business, decisions, whilst not taken lightly, allow for a business such as this to continually supply their customers with the latest and greatest that forecourt and convenience can offer.

Future proofing your site, due issues such as a rise in electric vehicle sales, is another point that Raylene spoke to me about, stating: “Our plug-in service is not used much at the minute, due to the lack of electric vehicles in our area, rather than in bigger cities. However, anticipating the use of this and making sure we meet our customers’ needs is important.”

Raylene also talked about the importance of independent forecourt and retail operators investing in their locations. “Any changes are taken as a big decision. Something as simple as changing your food menu board could drastically affect the attendance of your loyal, local customers. It’s about positive changes for customers and keeping the location down to earth.” Raylene and the rest of the family, clearly spend a lot of time researching what is best for their customers, which has helped them become a well-established service station.

The family are still very much involved in the business. If someone has a query in store they can be assured they will be talking to owners and invested parties of the location. Raylene also advised she passes this ethos of care to her 40 or so staff, and thus there is no time wasted conversing between management, giving straightforward answers immediately. The same speed allows this independent to fluctuate their prices, which bigger retailers simply cannot do, giving them a distinct advantage in store.

Raylene did talk about some of the disadvantages that they, and potentially other independents, are dealing with. Issues from consumers regarding pricing and cost of stock being higher than budget supermarket chains, profit margins taken by the service station, geographical location complicating what will and won’t work, attainment of staff, small changes making a big impact and technology moving “faster than we can keep up sometimes.” These factors can spell trouble for retailers; however, you can be assured there are solutions to these.

The way that these difficulties are overcome is by “offering everything that a customer may need.” Deli services, washing facilities, ATMs and a plethora of other top quality facilities have allowed McCaughey’s Service Station to become successful family run store and compete within a competitive market.

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Independency within retail and convenience is never an easy job. There are a plethora of issues facing owners, managing directors, licensees and numerous individuals in-between.

Whilst there is no out-and-out solution to solving the issues that face retailers every day, a wealth of experience and a logical approach can create an understanding for the current climate and future of the convenience and retail sector.

Brian Herlihy, owner of Herllihy’s Centra, is a man with an understanding of the current climate of the industry; therefore, there isn’t anybody better to speak to about the changing landscape of independent retail ownership. His involvement places him at the forefront for advice and opinion of the unchartered seas that some within the sector could find themselves in within the next 12 months. 

Talking to Brian he spoke about his own changes through his six stores that have made a difference in the industry currently. Placing an emphasis on design and revamping stores Brian explained that developments within Centra have been carefully chosen in an effort to make customers lives as convenient as possible.

“Ergonomics within our food-to-go section to make staff efficient when producing food at the deli, right through to a number of other small details, we make sure that every aspect of design and renovation is completely understood before starting to upgrade a store. It is all to make the customers lives easier.”

Brian, moving on from the design of the store and concentrating more on how to affect positive change to customers through their offerings, stated “Local supply, promotions and community lead initiatives are hugely important, along with listening to communities and reacting with improvement.”

Brian also explained that a range of “premium products, inspired by Centra” brings an added interest from customers and allows them to differentiate themselves from other competitors within the market.

Not only have they launched a range of products to help intrigue customers, innovations like Centra’s Beat the Queue app, a mobile app designed to make ordering and collecting your lunch from the deli counter at Centra that much easier, showcases just how they want to improve customer experiences and relations.

Whilst slightly behind some of the bigger retailers Brian referred to the fact their self-service tills have launched in-stores and are currently making people’s lives stress-free across a multitude of shops.

Moving more into his thoughts about the current climate for convenience retailers Brian spoke about the economic boost both helping and hindering retailers. “The recent economic rise is always welcomed and a good thing for retailers.

However, with the surge comes more investment in localised business. We have seen a multitude of coffee shops open up and it becomes harder to compete with this. Every cloud certainly has a silver lining, but it also works the other way in some instances.”

Brian continued speaking about the industry, advising on how he is currently trying to engage customers and keep them from flocking to the enormous amount of coffee houses opening up. In the last 3 years Brian has revamped four out of his six stores, with three main points at the forefront of his mind.

Increasing sales by expanding their food-to-go market, pushing for extra margins by competently altering their deli services and reducing cost through using a plethora of energy-saving devices, making the stores more efficient.  Brian stated that “it is looking into the small things that will save on cost and make stores more efficient.” All this combined keeps customers coming through the door.

However, Brian is aware the independent retailers are struggling in the current markets. He advised that without the backing of a company and a lack of investment in a franchise business model you’ll find your work demanding. He advised that retailers without support are going to find themselves working incredibly hard, stating that there is only maybe “a dozen in the country who are successfully making independency work.”

Looking ahead, Brexit and staff retention, surprise, surprise, were factors that played into how Brian saw the industry changing. When thinking about the innovations needed in staffing, Brian instructed that “we may have to go to other European countries, such as Poland, to look for staff if we cannot get anyone within Ireland.”

Speaking about Brexit he referred to it as mysterious for retailers. This issue that worries Brian is that if there is a financial backlash from the departure, or if agriculture is hit due to export/import complications, one of the first sectors that could take the brunt of inactivity would be convenience. However, Brain confirmed that this is a worst case scenario and that “Brexit is still very much unknown.”

It would appear that the best advice for any retailer would always be putting customers first and making sure that the small detail in your store makes you stand out from the rest of the crowd.

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