Cookshop Newport, run by mother and daughter team Sue and Hannah Tranter, is embarking on its second Christmas running a delicatessen as part of its cookshop offering. “This Christmas will be a real test as to how much we have learned,” says Sue.
The partners began running Cookshop Newport in 2011, having taken over the liquidated stock from a previous cook shop in the Shropshire town’s high street. Like so many others, the shop has seen a decline in footfall in recent years, prompting the Tranters to make changes to their business.
Sue reports: “We have seen the ‘Bake Off’ buzz and the cupcake trend come and go, but declining footfall and competition from the internet meant that, if we were to continue in the business, we needed to look at other ways of attracting new custom.”
In 2017, the partners introduced a fully stocked delicatessen to compliment its cookshop offering and, most importantly, encourage regular footfall.
“We chose products that fitted in with our current stock; for example, loose tea to help with the sale of teapots and tea strainers, cheese to show off our cheese boards and knives and our local free-range eggs have resulted in increased sales of egg baskets and egg holders,” explains Sue.
The Cookshop has recently installed a coffee machine to offer takeaway coffee alongside packs of ground coffee, coffee beans and coffee accessories.
Sue admits that the biggest challenge has been trying to avoid waste, with ‘use by’ or ‘best by’ dates meaning food gets thrown away. She reflects: “Last year was our first Christmas and we really did not know how much of anything to order. We took advice from suppliers and other traders, but even then, we ended up with a mountain of nibbles and biscuits going into the New Year.”
Sue adds: “I don’t suppose we will ever stop having to throw away a certain amount of food, but we are much happier now with what we need to stock.”
Top: The chilled counter at Cookshop Newport, Shropshire.
