A new British retail franchise is offering traders a change of scene after launching a new expat format abroad.
Thomas Green’s has so far opened two stores in Holland, with a third store set to start trading on Spain’s Costa Blanca next month.
The aim is to have an EU-wide network of 40 stores in three years, each offering 1,500 sq ft of space and 1,500 lines.
Aimed at expats and local communities looking for a taste of Blighty, shop owners will be mainly supplied by Nisa-Today’s Nisa International distribution network, which offers popular British brands including snacks, confectionery and beer.
Although around one in six of the lines offered are commonly available in most parts of Europe, retailers will also
get access to so-called ‘specialist’ offerings such as WeightWatchers and Twinings tea. Chilled and frozen lines will also be available through Nisa.
Thomas Green’s managing director Philip Evans said prospective retailers would be expected to make an initial investment of around £30,000 per store in order to get kitted out with a fascia-compliant shop fit and EPoS system. Each retailer will also get a custom-made web site from which to run a van delivery service.
Evans - former director of retail chain Expat Shopping, which had shops in Germany and Holland, and a previous head of the European retail team at Andersen Corporate Finance - said the chain’s 1,000 sq ft in The Hague, which opened before Christmas, was currently ringing around 110,000 a week through its tills.
However, Thomas Green’s will not be the first chain of its kind abroad. Husband and wife team Graham and Nichola Throup run four shops of their own and have six franchised stores in France called Best of British, stocking 600 lines. They aim to have more than 20 outlets under the fascia by the end of this year.
Simon Mowbray
Thomas Green’s has so far opened two stores in Holland, with a third store set to start trading on Spain’s Costa Blanca next month.
The aim is to have an EU-wide network of 40 stores in three years, each offering 1,500 sq ft of space and 1,500 lines.
Aimed at expats and local communities looking for a taste of Blighty, shop owners will be mainly supplied by Nisa-Today’s Nisa International distribution network, which offers popular British brands including snacks, confectionery and beer.
Although around one in six of the lines offered are commonly available in most parts of Europe, retailers will also
get access to so-called ‘specialist’ offerings such as WeightWatchers and Twinings tea. Chilled and frozen lines will also be available through Nisa.
Thomas Green’s managing director Philip Evans said prospective retailers would be expected to make an initial investment of around £30,000 per store in order to get kitted out with a fascia-compliant shop fit and EPoS system. Each retailer will also get a custom-made web site from which to run a van delivery service.
Evans - former director of retail chain Expat Shopping, which had shops in Germany and Holland, and a previous head of the European retail team at Andersen Corporate Finance - said the chain’s 1,000 sq ft in The Hague, which opened before Christmas, was currently ringing around 110,000 a week through its tills.
However, Thomas Green’s will not be the first chain of its kind abroad. Husband and wife team Graham and Nichola Throup run four shops of their own and have six franchised stores in France called Best of British, stocking 600 lines. They aim to have more than 20 outlets under the fascia by the end of this year.
Simon Mowbray
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