Starting out as a back-street butchers’ shop, Aubrey Allen has evolved to become a prestigious wholesale operation and a destination shop that was last month crowned the Farm Shop & Deli Awards Retailer of the Year.
The original shop was opened in Coventry in 1933 by Aubrey Allen. His son, Peter, opened the current shop, in Leamington Spa, in 1980 and his grandchildren all took part-time roles to learn the family trade.
In the following decades, Peter expanded the business into the foodservice market. His son, Russell, a trained chef, later transformed the Leamington Spa shop into a delicatessen offering chef-prepared ready meals.
Russell now leads the business, and his own son, George, is following in his footsteps, having recently completed his butchery apprenticeship and taken home the title of Young Butcher of the Year 2025.
“We have grown our reputation as the leading supplier of ethically sourced, naturally produced meat and farmhouse cheeses by always doing what we say we will do,” says Simon Kelly, Aubrey Allen butchery manager.
This devotion to service and quality has secured Aubrey Allen’s shop a loyal customer base, while its wholesale business has the patronage of chefs including Raymond Blanc and Heston Blumenthal.
“We hold the royal warrant to His Majesty the King, so it follows that the meat we serve in the shop is of the highest quality, sourced from the very best farms,” says Kelly. “The purchasing team visit all suppliers and abattoirs and have a fantastic relationship with all the farmers we use.”
Aubrey Allen’s beef is selected only from suckler herds to a specific classification and purchased whole.
“Our customers know they can call and order even the most specific preparation on a hard-to-find cut of meat and we will always strive to supply it for them,” Kelly says.
Russell is a lover of European cuisine, and when he first opened a deli counter in the shop he brought the likes of charcuterie and cold cuts alongside ready-to-cook meals such as coq au vin and beef bourguignon.
“It was the first place of its kind in the town, and we haven’t looked back,” Kelly adds.
The product range has grown from primarily meat to incorporate a thriving chef-prepared range and a cheese shop within the shop stocking more than 60 artisan cheeses from Britain and Europe.
The shop’s ‘Wall of Wonder’ stocks products ranging from small-batch BBQ sauces to French crisps, and a hot food counter serves breakfast and lunch every day.
“All our ready-to-eat dishes are cooked by our own team of chefs in a kitchen we built as the business expanded and demand grew,” says Kelly.
Aubrey Allen’s grocery range is curated by a buyer who has been with the business for 20 years and sources new products through trade shows, visits to other businesses and following what’s popular on social media. The shop works with local suppliers, which customers value for provenance, traceability, and community support, Kelly adds.
“We stock items that the supermarkets don’t. We stock some hard-to-get internationally recognised British cheeses, thereby creating a destination shop for our guests.”
While the footprint of the shop has remained the same, periodic refurbishments have enabled the business to maximise space by introducing new fridges, a new hot food kitchen area and streamlined counters.
The shop is designed to enable relaxed browsing, with a member of staff available at every point for conversation and to answer queries. A small number of countertop posters draw attention to high-priority items, while a video screen highlights in-house promotions.
A team member works three days a week purely on grocery items and visual merchandising to ensure displays and engaging and are optimised for profit.
A key aim is to keep the experience fresh every time a shopper visits. Marketing activity aims to create the feeling of a non-exclusive but exciting club that shoppers want to be a part of.
Activities include butchery demonstrations on the shop floor, cheese and wine evenings and the Secret Supper Club – a pop-up restaurant in the shop that sells for £45 per head. Regular tastings and masterclasses allow customers to try products, learn more, and engage with the business.
Another aim is outstanding customer service, and the shop’s butchers and deli team provide advice on cuts of meat, cooking methods, and wine and cheese pairings.
“Our highly trained team, including award-winning butchers and cheesemongers, share expertise that adds value to every shopping experience,” says Kelly, adding that team members travel to farms and cheese dairies regularly to ensure they understand the products they sell.
Sustainability and community activities are also a focus. A loyalty scheme encourages sustainable shopping habits by rewarding extra loyalty points to customers who bring their own containers, and plastic bags have been completely removed from the store and replaced with free paper alternatives.
Food is donated weekly to the local LWS Night Shelter and Helping Hands charity, with extra donated at Christmas, and the Aubrey Allen team volunteers together at Christmas to pack and wrap gift boxes for local people who would not otherwise receive a gift.
“We donate gift cards to every local school and charity group that makes a request and often provide food for events to maximise their fundraising efforts,” says Simon. “We sponsor and participate in as many local events as possible including the Leamington Food & Drink Festival.”
Staff wellbeing is a priority at Aubrey Allen, which is a real living wage employer and incudes team members in a profit-related pay scheme after three years’ service. Employees are supported with workshops on topics including nutrition, financial wellbeing and health.
The business says its recent success at the Farm Shop & Deli Retailer Awards – Aubrey Allen secured the Butcher of the Year award and was named Midlands regional winner before being announced as overall retailer of the year – is recognition of the hard work of its team.
“We’re really looking forward to keep celebrating this win with our teams, customers and suppliers, all of whom make Aubrey Allen what it is,” says Simon.
No comments yet