- New butcher counter marks latest step in journey
- Retailer launches industry-first dry ager cabinet
A NEW concessionary butcher counter within a Broxburn food store has marked the latest step taken by a Scottish convenience retailer to drive growth through the delivery of an enhanced shopping experience for customers.
Scotmid Co-operative has opened The Butchery Broxburn, in a move which supports the retailer’s focus on growing the business through innovation and partnership working – and comes as a direct response to meeting shifting customer demands for greater choice and top quality products.
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It further supports Scotmid’s ambition to encourage people to shop in their local area and support local business.
The counter is the third of its kind to open and follows the launch of a landmark butcher counter in Scotmid’s Uddingston store at the end of last year, in partnership with third generation, award-winning, family-owned butcher, S Collins & Son.
Family run Border Meats, which is based in Lockerbie and run by the Carlisle family, was selected by Scotmid for its excellent reputation in providing locally sourced, ethically farmed beef, lamb and pork – and its ability to trace all its products direct from farm to fork.
A state-of-the-art chilled cabinet at the front of the counter, home to a range of exceptional quality dry aged steaks, is a key focal point of the new offering – and heralds a first for the convenience retail industry. It has been deliberately incorporated to help establish the store as a destination point for meat lovers, who will make the journey specifically to purchase these products, often considered the reserve of the high-end restaurant market.
As a convenience retailer based at the heart of those communities it serves, innovation and partnership working are key areas to driving growth and success. Continuous market reviewing has shown that Scotmid’s customer base is evolving and that consumers want more than just their essentials from their local retailer.
As a result, the company has responded with a range of measures and was the first ever retailer to introduce a refill station into its Stockbridge store, where customers can fill up on different dry products such as pasta, couscous and dried fruit provided by Glasgow-based co-operative, Greencity Wholefoods.
Having been met with universal approval from customers keen to actively reduce their plastic consumption, the refill station is now available in a further four stores so far.
In April this year, Scotmid partnered with Caulders to launch the first ‘Caulders at Scotmid’ pop up garden centre at its Uddingston store, in response to the significant growth in popularity for gardening brought about by lockdown. Since opening, the store has seen a five-fold increase in the engagement in horticulture and seasonal offering and generated a call for similar initiatives to be launched at other stores.
Kirsty George, local sourcing manager at Scotmid, said: “As a convenience retailer, we are continually looking for ways we can improve, enhance and expand our customer offering on many different levels, which support our wider business objectives and growth ambitions.
“Innovation is a key area to achieving this, so we have spent time looking at consumer trends, driving forward our approach to sustainability, partnering with Scottish businesses who can help us deliver the choice and quality our customers want and supporting the Scottish supply chain.
“This latest butcher counter represents more than simply the provision of great produce. It’s about demonstrating that Scotmid is a retailer that understands and is responding to the changes in our customer’s shopping habits and creating exciting destination locations that people know will provide a great retail experience.”
