Cheese Retailers April 2024

Revisited In the context of the many large-scale challenges faced by independents up and down the country this year, Mark and his teamat Knowles Green have a simple philosophy: “positiveness”. A positive and proactive approach is the name of the game, he says: “youmust do the things you think you cannot do.” KEEP IT POSITIVE Evolution has been the name of the game for Cheshire’s Knowles Green, headed up by Mark Dent and Dagmara Sztompka. When we last profiled the site, Mark described it as a “unique take on a corner store”, where customers could peruse the shop’s stock of cheese, wine and provisions with a glass of great wine in-hand. “In the past 12 months we have put most of our energy into developing our business model intomore of a cheese and wine bar,” begins Mark. “We wanted to initially review howwe could growKnowles Green, gettingmore footfall through the front door and generatingmore loyalty to the brand.” Some out-of-the-box thinking led to the current incarnation of the business; “This made us look outside the box on howwe turn a traditional looking butchers shop with easy-clean white walls into a comfy-cozy warmwine and cheese bar,” he says. The relaunch of the premises in 2023 – “offering extended hours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and initiating Knowles Green Social - till 8pmor late” – is one of Mark’s proudest achievements of the year. The teamhas evolved alongside the shape of the business. “We have gone from twomembers of staff running a small cheese and wine deli over a six-day period, into what is now sevenmembers of staff serving cheese boards, small plates and glasses of wine in an ever-growing cheese deli and wine bar, seven days a week.” Quality is key, with locals and visitors alikemaking themost of the team’s expert take on perfect cheese and wine pairings since the site first opened in 2021. Serving fine food and wine in a cosy, convivial atmosphere is on the cards for the Knowles Green team in 2024. “Our immediate future is all about fine tuning and building on what we have already created,” explains Mark. Events are also on the cards in an attempt to grow awareness and appreciation of the business in the local area and beyond. “[We will also be] focusing on our events calendar and introducingmore in-house tastings, strengthening the brand.” Knowles Green 46 @specialityfood STAY POSITIVE. YOUMUST DO THE THINGS YOU THINK YOU CANNOT DO