Cheese Retailers April 2024

42 @specialityfood OVER THE PAST YEARWE HAVE INVESTED IN OUR LOYALTY CARD SYSTEM TO GIVE OUR CUSTOMERS A MORE PERSONAL SHOPPING EXPERIENCE “Over the past year we have invested in our loyalty card system to give our customers a more personal shopping experience,” begins Toby. “I have always been against a Clubcard- style system, but have been proven wrong. We gave our customers more personal offers and general offers to encourage them to shop with us more, and it has been a great success!” THE POWER OF LOYALTY the first one went so well that the team is planning a similar one to run in the summer months”. Revisited Unfortunately, this past August we lost a key member of our team. Phil will always be remembered inmany ways, a legend, a gentlemen, and truly down to earth bloke. He always listened to your problems andmake he wouldme you feel like you could overcome themwith just a few simple words. He was always the first one in and the last one out, even towards the days when he was getting unwell, you knewPhil was going to be there. Some would say he was to dedicated to his work and it was like talking to a brick wall trying to convince him to go home! But we loved that about him! Sometimes we would be working away not talking then all of suddenly he would come out with something that would have you laughing all day! All I know is that the Cheese Room wouldn’t be where it is today without Phil being there! Miss you buddy! Toby, Dean and the rest of the Friday Street Team IN MEMORY OF PHIL MARTIN Friday Street FarmShop For Toby Edwards, deli and cheese room manager at Friday Street FarmShop, 2023 went by in a flash. “I just don’t knowwhere those past 12 months have gone,” he says. “Business has been fantastic!” A hugely busy Christmas, following a “very positive” summer has meant that the quantity of the cheese room has at least doubled. Customer recommendations have helped, and trialling different cheeses have aided this success. As well as “smashing Christmas 2022’s sales by 60%”, one of Friday Street’s most successful endeavours were its tasting events. A Valentine’s Day event co-hosted with local brewery Adnams, where the producer’s wine was paired with local cheeses, was a stand-out success and inspired a return for the brewer in September. At this second event, local cheesemaker Fen FarmDairy – of Baron Bigod fame – delighted customers. Towards the end of the year an inaugural Christmas tasting event was held, which is now set to be an annual event. In fact,