On guard for profit Stringent anti-crime measures are paying dividends for the owners of a London high street Costcutter. Anne Bruce reports Costcutter's flagship store in Burnt Oak, north London, is standing proud with its new look livery, even after an attack by graffiti artists the night before. The damage could have been worse and co-owner Romesh Perera has come to expect such setbacks after six months trading at the high street location. But every time he hears horror stories from other convenience store traders he is thankful crime has not manifested itself more seriously at his Costcutter. He says: "We employ a security guard at weekends, especially in the evenings. So far, none of our staff has been threatened, but we are constantly on our guard. Consideration for staff safety was one of the main reasons why we decided against opening 24 hours, and not to install an ATM machine." The store itself is protected from the worst vandalism by steel shutters which come down after 11pm, installed in the course of the major reburbishments leading to its launch as a Costcutter. A Londis store and a newsagent were knocked together to form the 2,000 sq ft shop which opened in October 2000 after three months' work. Combined turnover had been £36,000-£38,000 but right from the start the Costcutter rebuild was taking £40,000. Perera says: "We started on £40,000 and takings have been getting better ever since. Everything has just dropped into place. The shop is in a prime location to attract that trade. It is the first general store on the high street, situated close to a housing estate, a school, and two minutes away from the Tube." Weekday customer flow follows patterns set by commuter and school rushes, and Saturday is hectic all day. Perera says: "We turn over about £10,000 on a Saturday, providing there has not been a roll-over on the lottery. If there is a roll-over it is just a nightmare, queues stretch right down the aisles. But customers don't seem to mind waiting." Perera and co-owner Rob Stevens wanted to install a separate till for the lottery but could not find a space for it without blocking customers who wanted to browse around the store. Space is at a premium. Stock, mainly delivered by Nisa, arrives on Sunday and Wednesday and goes straight onto the shelves. There is a stockroom downstairs, and spare pallets of beer take up a large proportion of the space available. Beer is a big seller and customers get through eight cases of Stella every day. lcohol more than pays its way ­ buoyant sales account for 30%-32% of turnover, and cigarettes a further 15%. And the best is yet to come. Perera says: "Summer has started and I'm told summer is very good here." {{SPOTLIGHT }}

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