Chartwells, Compass Group UK & Ireland’s education business, and SimplyFresh, the innovative symbol group convenience store brand, have created a partnership for the first time, to take over the operation of the University of Surrey’s 5,000 sq ft on-campus shop in July.
Known for its focus on fresh, healthy and artisan foods, SimplyFresh has been chosen by Chartwells as their preferred convenience store partner for the University of Surrey.
SimplyFresh will be completely overhauling the existing store, which serves a 14,000-strong student population to provide students with a fresh and exciting new offering.
The refit will see the introduction of a far larger range of fresh, chilled and healthy options and multiple till points, including self-serve tills to reduce waiting times, increasing transaction capacity by 40% In addition, the store will include a SimplyFresh Kitchen and deli, including a fresh salad bar and cold pressed juices and hot options including stone-baked pizzas and wholesome hot meals.
Innovation will be at its core. Customers will have access to a dedicated app to enable them to collect loyalty points, give feedback and also take part in tailored special offers. The store incorporates a Post Office with extended opening hours. Additionally, extensive work has gone in to designing the customer journey – with the aim of being able to provide customers with quick “food to go” visits, as well as the traditional top up shop. Digital screens will also be used in place of traditional posters.
Dev Dhillon, Retail Director for Chartwells stated: “Our insight shows that students are demanding much more than basic convenience from their onsite facilities. The SimplyFresh offer will transform the student experience by significantly expanding the food offer, with a focus on freshness, introducing a bigger selection of ethnic foods to appeal to international students and through new innovation such as the smartphone app and self-service till-points.”
Davinder Jheeta, creative director of SimplyFresh, said, “We’re delighted to have been chosen by the University of Surrey to operate its 5000 square foot on-campus store. Students are becoming increasingly discerning in the brands they’ll buy and the foods they’ll eat and our ethos of best of British products and healthy eating, all at an affordable price, was well received by the University’s decision making panel. We have engaged with the Surrey Student Union throughout the process to ensure we have created something that students want.”
James Newby, ?Director of Traded Services and Business Support University of Surrey, added, “SimplyFresh has a proven track record of taking stores and turning them into real success stories and we loved what they proposed to maximise every square foot of space. We knew our students would love the exciting brands and ranges SimplyFresh had to offer and we can’t wait to unveil the new store.”