JOSEPH KALAPURADKAL’s forecourt convenience store in Oldcastle, Co Meath, re-opened as a Nearby store on 31st October, making it the latest addition to the brand in the Republic of Ireland. He talks to Maev Martin about the benefits of being a Nearby store

Since opening the first Nearby convenience store in April 2021, Nearby continues to enjoy a rapid
growth rate as increasing numbers of growth rate as increasing numbers of local retailers seek to join the Nearby family. Today, the brand boasts well over 150 stores that are actively serving their local communities across the island of Ireland, with new Nearby retailers experiencing increased levels of
footfall to their stores, with ‘phenomenal’ growth across impulse and Nearby’s exclusive coffee concept-co concept – CUPPA – which is proving popular with shoppers. “From day one, the Nearby team worked with our team here in Oldcastle to fully understand what makes our store unique,” says Joseph Kalapuradkal. “They adopted a hands-on-approach with us. Their facilitation team ensured the delivery
of a cost-effective, on-time and minimum disruption fit out that works for our store and for our customer base. My positive experience with my other store – Nearby Kilbride, which features a filling station – motivated me to convert our Oldcastle store to the Nearby brand.” Kalapuradkal opened Nearby Kilbride in 2017. “Since we made the move to Nearby, we are finding that the level of support from the brand,
both financially and technically, has been superb,” he says. “If we need anything, they will help us,
ensuring that we get the most out of our physical space and product offering.”

Superb everyday pricing
Kalapuradkal is full of praise for Nearby’s product pricing and promotions. “Nearby’s parent company, S&W Wholesale offers an excellent value proposition for retailers with superb everyday pricing across all the vital categories and four strong deals for each promotional period under the ‘Bring Home The Value’ campaign,” he says. “In addition, their ‘Always On’ initiative locks value down on everyday essentials. These value propositions seek to help shoppers cope with the cost-of-living and the impact this continues to have on household budgets. “I am very happy with our trading since we opened and our staff love the new-look store and the expanded product range. All our staff are from the local community, so they are delighted to be selling and promoting such a wide range of products and services that are offering excellent value for money. We also received brilliant support from the community and our many happy customers, who are giving us positive feedback about what they love about the new store.”

Expanded product range

Since they converted to the Nearby brand, Kalapuradkal reports that they have received an
excellent product support service from Nearby. “For example, we receive a minimum of two deliveries a week, offering a wide range across over 9,000 ambient, chilled, fresh, and frozen products,” he says. “Our product range has expanded significantly since we joined the brand. We can now offer our customers a wide variety of crisps, chocolates and soft drinks, and we are operating a new and improved deli that features new fridges and freezers. The chilled and fresh ranges are ordered on a pick to zero basis to ensure they are delivered fresh and with their maximum shelf life and highest quality taste for the consumer.”

Working with the retailer
According to Kalapuradkal, as an independent retailer, he is finding that Nearby offers “an exciting, fresh, and modern brand that is focused on working alongside us and helping us to build our community credentials. The brand offers real value, while maximising retail sales and margins for our store here in Oldcastle and our other store in Kilbride. In addition, Nearby’s flexible package has allowed us to tailor our shop to meet the needs of our customers, ensuring that we can thrive in today’s every-changing marketplace.” Kalapuradkal’s store operated as a Costcutter store for a two-year period before reopening as a Nearby store little over a month ago. “Nearby Oldcastle has become a one-stop- one-stop-shop, servicing all the requirements of the local community, and beyond, in Oldcastle, Co Meath.”

Franchise of choice
According to Nearby IRL sales manager Jason McSteen, these are clear signs that the Nearby
brand is establishing its own identity within the convenience market in Ireland and becoming “the
independent retailing franchise of choice” for local retailers across the island. “When the brand
launched in 2021,the retailer and the shopper were always top of mind,” he says. “The modern, on trend, eye-catching concept lifts the look and feel of each individual store, both inside and out, with customer feedback remaining positive and retailers witnessing those increased levels of footfall as a
direct result. “The strapline of ‘Never too far from home is a perfect description for all our stores, with
many stores being right at the heart of their local community. We are always looking for retail partners who are as passionate about their customers, products and stores as the team at Nearby, which is why we are so happy that Joseph Kalapuradkal’s forecourt nappy that Joseph Kalapuradkal’s forecourt
convenience store in Oldcastle has joined the brand.”

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