Chelmsford Star Co-operative has reported an impressive increase in sales in their food stores over the Christmas period.
In the three weeks from 17 December to 6 January, the Essex-based society saw its like-for-like sales in core categories increase by 10.93%.
The co-op also provides a breakdown of the results down by region, with stores in the south of their trading area – including those in Tilbury, Southend and on Canvey Island – achieving like-for-like growth of 12.57%.
Head of food Darren Leverington said: “I’m delighted to report that we’ve achieved highly respectable growth in our core categories.
“This is a testament to the hard work put in from our colleagues on the shop floor up, the quality and range on offer, and demonstrates that the strategies we’ve put in place are working.”
Chelmsford Star says the key to the increase is its focus on availability and on improvements to their replenishment systems, with particular attention paid to their top 100 lines.
“Looking at our top 100 products sold, we can see that our customers were more interested in cooking themselves a fried breakfast over the Christmas period than buying alcohol,” said Mr Leverington.
“It is also hugely encouraging to see one of our local suppliers, Craft Bakeries, have increased their sales through us by 39%.”
