Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the man behind easyJet, has opened the first easyFoodstore, which sells non-perishable items at incredibly low prices.
A new low-cost concept, the easyFoodstore selling all of its items for 25p each, but only until the end of February.
Shoppers have been flocking to the store in Park Royal, north-west London, next to the easyBus depot.
easyFoodstore’s message is a simple one: ‘No expensive brands, just food honestly priced’. It’s even on the entrance to the shop.
I went down there to see what it was all about.
Inside the store
Even though I’d already been told the shop was small, I didn’t expect it to be this tiny. And there were as many journalists as there were shoppers when I arrived, so the place has clearly caused a buzz.
Shelves are filled with dried food, tins and snacks with a freezer chest and a fridge selling cold drinks in the corner. Staff were working at lightning speed to replenish the ever-diminishing stock.
They’ve timed the opening carefully, revealing that the shop had opened two to three weeks beforehand. So why all the hubbub now? “We’ve had lots of social media,” said Richard Shackleton, easyGroup’s Director of Communications.
[SPOTLIGHT]When I ask him about the reception so far, he gestures to the shop floor, drawing my attention to the queue which is now halfway around the store.
“We’re out of everything. The freezer emptied within an hour this morning!” he laughs.
I buy some snacks for the office, getting a decent haul of unbranded salt and vinegar crisp sticks, jelly babies, ginger nuts and ‘cheese thins’ for just £1.
I was astonished to find that despite such small prices, the shop processes card payments. That said, people were buying large amounts in a single shop, though I imagine that might be encouraged by the stack of wheelie shopping baskets at the shop’s entrance. The largest sale so far has reportedly been £27.
easyFoodstore has been dubbed as a competitor for Aldi and Lidl, though Richard places it as more of a middle ground between a food bank and a 99p shop, catering to those less well-off.
What shoppers thought
I spoke to shoppers to find out a bit more about why they came.
Rose and Corrine McNee, both from Wembley, were just out and about when they found out about the shop.
“A guy told us that he’s got six items at 25p each from this shop so we thought we’d come in and have a look,” they told me.
Local market researchers Leon Palmer and Abhinav Saraswat were interested in coming to the store to find out who stocked the produce. Euro Shopper and Happy Shopper feature heavily on the shelves. Their products are sold throughout Western Europe and Scandinavia, though you might recognise them from Premier Stores and your local corner shop.
They were a bit disappointed with the shop itself, agreeing that the produce is a bit too basic. “It’s like walking into a warehouse, not a supermarket,” said Abhinav.
Fellow shopper Maxine Elias said the same, and feels it's mis-sold as a supermarket. “You could make a couple of meals, but that’s about it,” she said.
It works rather well for her though. Maxine works with an organisation that, among other projects, does food collection and distribution to places such as food banks. This is a perfect opportunity for her to stock up.
Fortunately Maxine lives in north London herself but she doubts whether the shop is worth the trip for those who live further afield. “No parking either,” she points out.
But with the shop already showing signs of success, there’s a good chance it could roll out to other parts of the country.
What’s next?
As the 25p offer is only running throughout February, I wonder what’s coming next.
“We’re not sure yet, perhaps 50p an item?” said Richard Shackleton.
Though there are some frozen foods and chilled drinks in-store, fresh produce is more or less out of the question due to fears about the amount of waste it could cause. However, there have been rumours it might sell household items like cleaning products in future.
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