Celebrating half a century in Norfolk

A third generation, family-run store in North Norfolk has seen impressive results after completing a refurbishment marking 50 years of trading in the popular tourist town of Wells-next-the-Sea.

Leftley’s of Wells, which was founded in 1971, is run by Abigail Leftley who has taken over from her father Nigel to manage daily operations at the 3,000 sq.ft. site.

The recent re-fit has seen the store take on a contemporary new look both inside and out, with the ambitious retailer keen to make the most of a business that boasts an extremely loyal customer base and a keen tie to the local community.

And sales have benefited from the investment in the store with trading up 20% since the work completed six months ago and average basket spend increasing from ￡7.30 to ￡9.50.

Recent winners of Nisa’s Own Brand Retailer of the Year award at the 2022 Nisa Expo, the store is a great example of how to make the most of the tools available to an independent retailer to flourish and stand out in a competitive market.

Abigail is very passionate about the store and the strong family connection and has a drive to grow the business while continuing to support the local community.

She said: “The store has always been in my life. My grandad started up the business and retired when I was very small, and Dad ran the shop until quite recently when I have started to take more control.

“I love coming into the shop – they are my shelves, it is my stock, and I decide what I want to sell and how I want it to look.”

The refit has given the store a fantastic fresh look with additional chiller space to expand the fresh produce range, a new counter and shelving, contemporary signage, and vinyls across the whole interior of the store including new covering for the chest freezers and pillars in the building, and the latest dark grey Evolution Nisa Local fascia outside.

The spirit range was relocated to behind the counter and backlighting installed, giving a premium look and feel as well as freeing up space for beer and cider stacks on the floor.

And whilst the age of the building restricted alterations as part of the refit with pillars to the front entrance of the store ruling out the option for sliding doors, these and other bespoke features are part of what makes the store what it is.

“I love the fact that we look different. It makes us more interesting; we’re not just another shop in a parade of stores. And that’s important in a community like Wells, which is a small town but with lots of tourists,” said Abigail.