Not one to be fazed by competition from the mults, Andrew Thornton has revamped his Crouch End Budgens store to wrest back sales from Waitrose. Elinor Zuke finds out more


When Waitrose opened on Crouch End Broadway in October 2009, Andrew Thornton’s Budgens embarked on a bitter battle. But despite countless column inches (such as ‘The battle of Crouch End’, 21 November 2009), Thornton was hit, with turnover across both stores dropping 8.2% in the year to 30 September 2010 even though his Belsize Park store had been growing in that time.

Thornton was determined not to give up. And he’s found numerous ways to attract not only column inches building a roof garden and selling squirrel meat while his latest reincarnation has included poetry readings. But he’s also redesigned the Crouch End store to make the most of what makes it different its unabashed foodie joy and close ties with the community.

“Food plays an important role in our lives, so food stores should be part of the community in the same way,” says Thornton. And you believe him. Throughout the morning he greets customers by name; most are quick to congratulate him on the store redesign, singling out what they like, such as the fresh produce displays and the new positions of the tills.

One, who praises the range of organic produce and diversity of the cheeses for sale, describes a particular cut of veal she had recently enjoyed on a French holiday, and Thornton suggests she speaks to the butcher’s deli about ordering it in. Later he checks with the butcher to see if veal had indeed been discussed (it had).

The care Thornton shows his customers extends from this micro-level interest in food to community projects. A major transformation has taken place. Pushing the checkouts to the front of the store has allowed Thornton to create flexible space in the middle. By day, wooden tables hold ambient SKUs, but by night they are cleared and pushed together for the store’s new wine tastings. A high table and chairs is also available for meetings. MP Lynne Featherstone has already held a surgery here, while a charity has used the space to sell books. Meanwhile, a stall is available for people to sell produce or crafts from.

But the battle to win back customers extends beyond community interaction. Externally commissioned research revealed the shop’s weak spots, giving Thornton a checklist of practical improvements.

First on the list was promotions customers said they wanted more of them. They are now in the middle of store on gondola ends, and include national brands. But unlike the mults, Thornton’s Budgens also offers promotions on locally supplied products, such as London Tea.

With parking nigh on impossible in Crouch End, customers said they didn’t do a full shop because they couldn’t carry it home. So the store is now making much more noise about its free home delivery service. Customers can phone through, email or simply gather their shopping and have it delivered an hour or two later a faster turnaround than Ocado et al.

“Customers also said the shop was disorganised, that it wasn’t easy to find things and that there was too much clutter,” says Thornton. He has responded with shorter aisles, and by shifting the tills. The freezing greeting of the first aisle was another common gripe, so Thornton invested in doors for it. The doors have also helped bring energy costs down by 20%.

Customers were also frustrated by inconsistent service. “Sometimes staff were friendly and helpful, other times they were the opposite,” Thornton admits. He has since introduced a Smile Award for customer service and produced an audio recording to inspire team members.

There were plenty of things people loved about the store too, which it is going to lengths to play up. The quirky, rustic displays, the emphasis on local produce, and of course, that roof garden. Some of these measures just come down to good marketing. Take the giant map behind the tills, which pinpoints where its London suppliers are based. “We used the suppliers before, but now we’re telling people,” says Thornton. He is also proud that the shop has become a stockist of Mrs Tee’s mushrooms, a supplier more often associated with Michelin-starred restaurants.

Next year there will also be more produce from eight metres above the shop floor. The famous volunteer-run roof allotment which has won praise from Boris Johnson is to dedicate more space to salad leaves. This year, mixed bags of sorrel and rocket sold out within two days.

So is it all working? Sales are up week-on-week during the school holidays, when they traditionally fall. And although I spy a Waitrose pizza in one customer’s reusable bag, residents of this well-to-do pocket of Haringey clearly enjoy shopping here.

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