Glasgow-based Girish’s Premier Barmulloch is set to be the first convenience store in the country to operate a 24 hour delivery service. Due to launch on Wednesday (February 5), it is hoped that the service will help the store reach a wider audience and generate £5,000 a week in extra sales.
“I approached Snappy Shopper with the idea of doing 24 hour delivery because it ties in with our store operation,” he told SLR. “We introduced a night shift about four months ago where someone will come into the store at night once the shop is closed and just do all the [shelf] filling and have the shop ready for the morning. It just means that the whole day runs more smoothly.”
Having successfully implemented the night shift, entrepreneurial Girish was keen to expand on the opportunity. “I thought: Why don’t I put one more person in and it will be safer with two people being there and if one person is doing delivery and helping out with the shop, it’s a win-win situation.”
He floated the idea on Facebook, running a poll to see whether customers were open to the idea and 140 people voted in favour of the service. “To get that sort of reaction made us think it’s going to work out, plus it’s a new audience, not a regular customer that will order at that time of day,” he said.
As the winner of our 2024 #ThinkSmart Innovation Award, it’s no surprise that Girish is breaking new ground. But he is under no illusion that the service will be an instant hit.
“The result won’t be immediate, but we are 100% down for trialling it for a good few months,” he said. “At the moment, deliveries account for 20% of our business, so we think £5,000 sales a week from the nighttime is more than achievable.”
