You may have heard about a major football tournament happening this summer, and many stores have really been going the extra mile when it comes to offering World Cup experiences for their communities.
One such event Convenience Store saw on social media this week had definitely fulfilled that brief - held at the Go Local Extra in Hursthead, near Stockport - run by experienced retailer Andy Campbell, who has traded there for over 30 years.
Andy has been with Go Local Extra for the last eight of those years, and said he saw the World Cup as an opportunity to engage with his shoppers and also his suppliers
“We’ve always believed in being at the heart of the community…”
Andy said: “We’ve always believed in being at the heart of the community, and major sporting events like the FIFA World Cup give us a fantastic opportunity to bring people together while creating an exciting atmosphere in-store.”
For the tournament, Andy and his team have worked alongside wholesaler Parfetts and Budweiser to really bring the World Cup to life in the store – and you can clearly see that before you even step inside. “We’ve wrapped the outside of the store in Budweiser and England World Cup branding,” he explains.
“We also created a prominent Budweiser display inside, and all our staff are wearing Budweiser World Cup t-shirts throughout the competition.
“We always involve our team in our activations, so this time we’ve also introduced a free staff World Cup sweepstake with £250 of prizes to keep everyone engaged and enjoying the tournament.”
Last week’s hot weather also gave the opportunity for the community store to ring something extra special, as it organised a Football Funday in tandem with Parfetts, alongside suppliers Budweiser, Kellanova, Coca Cola and Suntory.
“There were plenty of games and activities with lots of prizes and free food throughout the afternoon, as well as a raffle where one lucky customer will win a World Cup football,” Andy added.
But away from the bright colours and games, Andy said there’s also something a little more meaningful to the events he’s put on at the store: “The importance of these kind of events can’t be underestimated. They’re about much more than driving sales.
”They give us the chance to spend time with our customers, strengthen relationships and reinforce our position as a true community retailer.”
The store serves a road mix of customers, Andy said: “We’re fortunate to serve a fantastic mix. There’s a Junior School directly behind the store, so we see parents and children every day.
“During the daytime we also have many elderly customers, while from 4pm onwards and at the weekends we’re busy with working families. Being in a great suburban neighbourhood means we have a real sense of community, and our activation days are always well supported.”
Alongside his store, Andy says football itself is also very important to his local community: “Football is a huge part of life in our area. The children love the game, and with both Manchester clubs on our doorstep, as well as our local club, Stockport County, there’s always plenty of football conversation.”
Andy added that he carries out brand activations at his store regularly and always sees the worth of them: “The activations are something we run on a regular basis, working with suppliers including, Budweiser, Heineken, Red Bull, Kellanova and many others.
“They help keep the store exciting for customers while strengthening the relationships we’ve built within our community over the years. For us, that’s what independent retailing is all about.”
But does Andy think England can really go all the way? He has several reasons to hope so, he concluded: “We’re hoping England has a good tournament because every win creates another opportunity for us to engage with customers and build on the excitement.”
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