17 OCTOBER 2025 ASIAN TRADER 45
PROFILES IN SUCCESS
ASIAN TRADER AWARDS WINNERS
and run promotions that Tesco can’t match.
“We can do double points on weekends or
triple points on certain products,” he says.
“We even ran a campaign outside saying
‘cheaper than Tesco’. We’ve kept those prices
lower.”
Community roots
His team of long-serving local staff adds to the
difference. “Some of them have been here
over 25 years. Our store has very good
customer service compared to Tesco Express
and all our staff are locally based as well.”
That community-first approach extends
beyond the shop floor. Growing up around the
shop, Kersheaup learned something
fundamental: “The relationship you have
with your local customers is what makes the
difference with a store.” His parents knew
every customer by name – and their children
too.
That community engagement continues
today. They fund raffles for local schools
during Christmas, providing donated prizes.
When a local church needed roof repairs but
lacked funding, they provided bedding plants
to sell as fundraisers. Three local councillors
attended the store’s reopening after the refit,
landing coverage in the local newspaper.
Tech as silent partner
Kersheaup is quick to recognise that his
store’s success also rests on the smart use of
technology. “Technology halves the work
load,” he says matter-of-factly.
The store uses Active C-Pos for live data on
sales, margins, and customer counts, with
automatic ordering capabilities. They’ve
installed an electronic cigarette gantry from
Navarra Retail Systems to control high-value
stock and prevent theft. Ordering technology
tracks inventory in their off-site 3,000 square
foot warehouse.
But the most dramatic intervention
involved artificial intelligence. After the refit,
with new tall aisles creating blind spots, theft
levels were climbing. Traditional CCTV wasn’t
fast enough.
Enter Veesion AI, a system that automati
cally detects shoplifting – someone putting
items in their pocket or bag – and alerts staff
within 30 seconds. The results were immedi
ate and stark: “From that we
took our theft levels
virtually back to zero.”
They ran the system for
one year. “While we were
catching all the criminals
and the thieves, they
themselves knew not to
come back to this store,”
Kersheaup explains. Theft
levels remain under control
even after discontinuing the
paid service. Word travelled
fast.
Power of partnership
Being part of Bestway Retail has been
a cornerstone of the store’s progress.
Kersheaup’s family joined Costcutter
in 2001 – and has never looked back.
“They’ve kept us up to date with
market research and how the
customers are on a national level and a local
level. They’ve looked at the trends and
they’ve told us how to implement those
trends and changes in-store and what a typical
shopper needs nowadays on a regular basis,
and the store has been adapted that way,” he
says.
The personal support from his Business
Development Manager, Ash Rabone, is
something Kersheaup values highly. “He’s on
hand seven days a week by phone,” Kersheaup
says.
They review high-performing and
underperforming categories together,
strategising improvements. When special
seven-day deals come up – particularly on
beers and multipacks – Rabone sends
WhatsApp alerts. If Kersheaup’s too busy to
log in and order, Rabone handles it himself.
“So it saves me time in some places,”
Kersheaup notes with characteristic
understatement.
The relationship exemplifies his philoso
phy about symbol group partnerships. “The
retailer should be looking at the overall
service, from deliveries to the engagement of
the BDM to the overall service that the
symbol group offers,” he advises. “It’s not just
solely on the price or competitiveness of the
cost of goods delivered.”
His advice to other retailers considering a
symbol partnership is simple: “Take full
advantage of the support
that’s offered. It’s always free
and worth trying – otherwise
you’ll never know what you
missed.”
The next chapter
Despite the rising costs – na
tional insurance contributions
and other budgetary pressures
– Kersheaup remains on track
to recoup the £250,000
investment within 2.5 years.
But he’s not stopping there.
They’re planning an extension and
refurbishment of their second Bolton store,
currently delayed by planning permissions.
“We’re hoping that the planning stage is
completed by the end of this year,” he says.
They aim to begin construction and refurbish
ment next year.
The new store will trial additional
suppliers and categories – toys and American
products – that require more space than
currently available. It will remain a Costcut
ter, leveraging the lessons learned from
Kearsley. Looking five years ahead, Ker
sheaup envisions multiple stores. But growth
requires something specific: operational
efficiency, and this is an area where he would
like more support from his symbol group.
“Probably provide a little bit more support on
operations for the store, so it can help us
effectively run the store day to day, so we can
concentrate on growing to a large number of
multiple stores.”
His brother, Nilesh, focuses on their online
business, Exclusive Deals Limited, which sells
office products, health & beauty, DIY & tools,
toys & games and luxurious bedding supplies.
Kersheaup concentrates on both physical
stores, applying the formula that’s proven so
successful.
Essence of success
If there’s a single thread running through
Kersheaup’s story, it’s the balance of tradition
and transformation. He has modernised his
family’s business without losing its soul.
His hot food counter may use digital
ordering systems, and his shelves may be
algorithmically optimised for shopper flow,
but the core ethos – service, community, and
consistency – is old-fashioned in the best
sense.
“The motivation is the customers,” he says
simply. “If the customers exit the store with a
smile on their face, I know I’ve done my job,
and also I will know that he or she will come
back at a later date to the store as they were
happy with the service.”
And as the awards season looms once
again, it’s clear that whatever the outcome in
November, Kersheaup Vagadia has already
built something far more lasting than a
trophy: a blueprint for how the next genera
tion of independents can thrive.