Four types of fine food retail location and their benefits

When we talk about choosing a new home, the mantra “location, location, location” is often bandied around. But what about when you’re choosing where to set up a new business?

Tourist hotspots 
Food and drink often go hand-in-hand with holidays, and the sheer footfall through tourist hotspots makes them an appealing option for an artisan shop. The owners of Dorset’s Noisy Lobster restaurant, who also own beach huts, a coffee cabin and a chunk of beach on their doorstep, were looking for the right idea to give a new lease of life to their gift shop when they noticed that their restaurant customers often asked if they could buy the items they had enjoyed on the menu, from cured seafood to seaweed truffle butter and pates.

Suddenly the shop’s future was clear. “Being so close to the restaurant, it was the perfect location, plus with the beach and sea on the doorstep, the produce could not be any fresher,” marketing manager Monica Taylor and deli manager Daisy-Mae Prewett tell Speciality Food. 

On top of its proximity to the restaurant, the location itself is a bonus for the family-run business, which has tailored its offering to its audience. “Being a seafront business, we have a very high footfall particularly in the summer season,” Prewett and Taylor explain. “Many customers often look for ‘grab and go’ items which is why we introduced our range of baguettes, toasties and seacuterie to create the perfect beach picnic.

“The business also owns 120 beach huts available to hire and is located just along the coast from a popular holiday park which results in people looking for their everyday essentials such as milk, bread and eggs. Our on-site bakery provides all the cakes, pastries and bread which are freshly baked every morning. They even offer bespoke celebration cakes for those with a special occasion!”

Being by the sea also influences the direction of the business. As well as aiming to provide seasonal, fresh and local produce, the Noisy Lobster does what it can to help the environment - including staging events that educate the importance of reusing, recycling and encouraging a ‘plastic-free’ sea.

Rural retailers
A tourist hotspot might be an obvious winner, but plenty of rural retailers thrive despite being somewhat off the beaten track. When Kay Croot and her late husband Steve wanted to open a farm shop in 2008, the logical place was on the farm near Duffield, Derbyshire, run by Kay’s parents where she had grown up.

The couple converted former stables and created Croots Farm Shop. For Kay Croot, the shop’s location brings plenty of advantages. “We’re set in a beautiful location, overlooking the Ecclesbourne Valley and with fields of sheep and Shire horses out the front,” she explains.

“Our café looks out to amazing views, which is undoubtedly an attraction. Being set on a farm means we immediately have that farm to fork link, which many customers like. We rear our own lambs, for example, and offer products from almost 50 local producers from within a 50-mile radius.”

The connection to the farm also gives the shop another avenue for promotion, she adds, and allows them to get involved in rural events such as LEAF Open Farm Sunday where they organise displays like sheep shearing and blacksmithing - using it as another way of attracting new customers and offering a platform for promotion.

It’s not all plain sailing, admits Croot. “There were some challenges to overcome – customers have to drive to us rather than walk and we are at the end of a long drive, so we’ve had to work hard on our signage and raising awareness about where we are and what we do. Staff also have to be able to get to us.”

But equally, the benefit of a rural location meant as soon as Croots became established it became part of the local community, building up a band of loyal customers as well as winning numerous awards - local and national - to help raise its profile.

Be on a busy route
Popular destination farm shop, restaurant and artisan food destination The Farm, near Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, may be in a relatively rural location but also benefits from proximity to several busy routes in the area. “The location is ideal,” says director Charlie Wells.

She had visited the farm shop and PYO business on the site as a child, as had her parents, so when it came up for sale they jumped on the opportunity. “We are located on one of the busiest roads in Stratford (A46) and just off the old Warwick Road, which is a key road going in and out of Stratford town,” she tells Speciality Food. “Being on the A46 means we are only a few miles off the M40. These main roads mean we are more easily accessible from larger towns/cities - Leamington Spa, Solihull, Birmingham, Coventry etc.” Also, the proximity of cycle paths and walking routes including the Monarch’s Way, which runs through the farm, are also an asset, attracting more customers.

Its location often works in The Farm’s favour, bringing a steady flow of customers and easy access, but like Croots can also cause problems. “Busy roads also sadly means more accidents,” says Wells. “This can mean the A46 can be closed for hours and hours. We’ve even had the air ambulance land on the front lawn! Our other main issue is that we still do not have a road sign directing people to the farm shop/restaurant due to signage restrictions on the highways. We have petitioned to have road signs, mainly to warn traffic of the farm shop turning, however we’ve had no luck.”

Despite stumbling blocks, The Farm has proved successful, winning awards and attracting a wide customer base. But this is, in part, due to tailoring its offering to its location and working with the location, rather than against it. “We’ve worked hard to get the destination ‘event friendly’ by making the courtyard family friendly,” adds Wells. “We’ve also invested in new polytunnels where we hold indoor markets, corporate events and workshops. Our farm animals also add to the event experience, plus we have plenty of parking to host events.”

City slickers
The benefits of a rural location might seem obvious, but what about artisan retailers in more urban areas? Bonnie & Wild has made a home in the heart of Edinburgh, which means the independent businesses within it all benefit from a city centre location and high footfall that would normally be the reserve of chain F&B brands, says managing director Ryan Barrie.

“Our Scottish Food Hall is close to tram links, Edinburgh bus station and Waverley Train Station, so it’s easy for guests to visit, and we find that our diverse and high quality Scottish food and drink offer really resonates with tourists, city visitors and residents alike,” he says. They also benefit from relationships with local Edinburgh-based businesses, he says, and work with them to put on tailored events, from drinks receptions to VIP dinners.”

Its city centre location influences the direction of the business, with high footfall, access to suppliers and staffing and the chance to tap into the events market and corporate partnerships, all proving helpful in its success, Barrie admits. But the business also reflects its audience, by championing Scottish produce and producers in its offering and curating concessions to ensure the food hall represents a modern Scotland and cosmopolitan Edinburgh.