Retailer Profile
Wharfedale Premier - Hull

Champions of Responsible Retailing and Community Commitment

Samantha & Mark Coldbeck Praised for Customer Service

Priding themselves on customer service and sheer commitment to their community, Samantha and Mark Coldbeck, owners of Wharfedale Premier Convenience Store in Hull are this year’s winners of Responsible Retailing at the IAA. It’s no wonder, because they have implemented the best practice in preventing sales of age-restricted products to underage buyers. The Coldbecks installed three ShopMate EPoS tills in 2012, and Retail Data Partnership (RDP) visited the store to find out what they do to win this recognition.

Samantha and Mark stress the fact they wouldn’t want their children buying illicit tobacco or other age-restricted products. They apply the Challenge 25 programme strictly and have POS material prominently displayed to remind customers that they need identification for age-restricted purchases.

"We use a local leaflet distributor to target 1,000 customers that wouldn’t usually visit our store every four weeks, and have a loyalty scheme to track our customer behaviour."
Samantha Coldbeck - Owner - Wharfedale Premier

They also use the shop front effectively to tell their customers about promotional offers inside the store.

Thinking outside of the box, Samantha takes a proactive approach to spotting how her marketing strategies communicate to her customers.

"I regularly walk into the store as a customer and look at ways in which the shop communicates, and if something needs changing I change it."
Samantha Coldbeck - Owner - Wharfedale Premier

The Coldbecks are always looking for new ways to improve, and are strategic in their approach.

Samantha and Mark launched their Twitter account on the 17th September of this year. Since then, they have used it effectively to communicate with their suppliers.

"Twitter is a great way to work with our supplier representatives that support our categories in-store. We have open discussions on a regular basis to find out what has worked for other shop owners who have a similar size store."
Samantha Coldbeck - Owner - Wharfedale Premier

The Coldbecks use both Twitter and Facebook to tell their customers about their promotional offers, and post regularly about what the store does for their community.

Samantha and Mark also use social media to motivate their staff

"We posted a picture of our cleaner who has worked at Wharfedale Premier for some time, and wrote a small tribute to show our appreciation. The picture got 15 comments and over 50 likes, and she was over the moon having said she felt like a celebrity"
Samantha Coldbeck - Owner - Wharfedale Premier

When RDP visited the store, the shop communicated to its customers extremely well. The Coldbecks understood how to use national events such as the holidays to contextually promote what was on offer.

Samantha and Mark shared a top-tip about marketing to their customers.

'Don’t be afraid to use the local media to tell your store and promote your business. Your print communications should both inform and motivate customers to visit your store'
Samantha Coldbeck - Owner - Wharfedale Premier

RDP were really impressed with Wharfedale Premier – congratulations and a massive well done to Samantha and Mark Coldbeck!