Booths has always had a very clear idea of what makes a regional supermarket so vital to its local community, namely the quality of the product range, staff and stores.

Established from a single grocer’s shop in Blackpool in 1874, what makes it virtually unique - as well as making it the most senior retailer in the country - is that it continues to be privately controlled by the fifth generation, whose family name is the bold red logo on the fascias.

From small beginnings 161 years ago, Booths now has 26 supermarkets spread across Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire and Cumbria, controlled from a modern office on the edge of Preston. The stores vary in size from 2,088sqft to 28,000sqft, with the most recent opened at Lytham in 2007.

Despite pressure within the retail trade, the independent chain has continued to prosper and last year recorded turnover of £240 million. And there is every sign that it is continuing to prosper. Next year, new premises will replace the current Garstang branch, while the shell of a new store is already up at Ripon. Planning permission has been granted on a further site at Barrowford, with further expansion in the four counties planned for the years ahead.

Booths is seen by the shopper as somewhere between Waitrose and Sainsbury’s. The chain may have begun as a high-street grocer but, to add to its reputation for speciality fresh food and a wide range of drinks, it gradually introduced fresh produce during the mid-1970s. Today, sales for this sector top £32m.

Chris Treble, fresh produce buyer, joined in 2002 from agricultural consultancy ADAS, having worked in many of the leading horticultural experimental stations. He heads up a close-knit team comprising buyers Matthew Bruno and Hannah Wareing, and administrator Gail Jordan. His horticultural background brings a deep understanding to product ranges and grower-supplier relationships.

How do you achieve a point of difference in a highly competitive retail world?

I think the best way to answer the question is to go back to the basic philosophy of our founder who, when he opened his first grocery store, must have been among the first companies to have a mission statement. It was “to sell the best goods available in attractive stores staffed with first-class assistants”, and we have not deviated from this over five generations.

In practical terms, what does this mean?

First and foremost, that shopping at Booths should be a pleasurable experience. It means having the right range of products that customers want to buy, and constantly being aware of shopping trends so that new products and brands can be introduced. From this stems the importance of having well-trained, knowledgeable and courteous staff with the awareness that they are working in a caring, close-knit family business.

Second, over the years, ensuring the design and layout of all our stores, regardless of size, have kept pace with change. The aim is that they should be spacious, well-lit and filled with displays that are constantly monitored to maximise their appeal.

All successful retailing is, after all, about customer perception. This total combination has created a framework from which we have continued to benefit from a very high degree of shopper loyalty.

How do you apply these criteria to fresh produce?

Obviously, it has been a learning curve that began when we began to stock fruit and vegetables more than 30 years ago, and even now we are always looking at new ways to enhance our offer. We sell a lot more loose products than other supermarkets and I am always on the look-out for the special “distinctly Booths” lines that customers cannot find elsewhere - visit our stores and you will see what I mean.

In simple terms, product has to be as fresh as possible, which means tight stock control linked to a delivery system, which ensures continuity and can respond when there is a surge in demand through changing weather conditions or peak sales periods.

Booths, in fact, is particularly conscious of the latter, as many of our customers make several trips a week to our stores, reinforcing our belief that we are still considered to be very much part of the community.

We work very closely with Sharrocks Fresh Produce, which was originally a wholesaler in Preston market, but now has bespoke premises and fulfils the function of our specialised regional distribution centre, operating separately from our own premises, which handles groceries.

Does Sharrocks also source for you?

Certainly, because its expertise continues to be an asset and our combined relatively small size allows us to be flexible and nimble in a fast-moving marketplace.

However, because of the need for forward planning of substantial programmes, similar to other multiples, we operate with several category managers such as Norman Collett for English top fruit, Empire World Trade for imported apples and pears, and ERMS for citrus. Our loose bananas are all Fairtrade.

As far as the UK is concerned, we have been particularly successful at building many direct contacts with English growers. There is no better example than in the North, which offers a surprising range of crops grown on our doorstep.

This gives us the added bonus of quality and freshness recognised by our customers and, more recently, has allowed us to capitalise on the growing demand for locally sourced produce.

Nevertheless, while we will continue to be as supportive as possible to local growers and British horticulture as a whole where we have built long and tested relationships, our suppliers have at least got to match alternatives in both taste and quality.

Has this local knowledge brought any other advantages?

Certainly. As we are a small player in relation to the big national retailers, we have been able to benefit by working with many of the excellent smaller producers, who find our scale of operations right for their own volumes. This has also resulted in several speciality lines, which helps to enhance our image.

Can you give examples of this?

The best example just recently has been a very successful range of speciality mushrooms from Smithy Mushrooms in Ormskirk. Every month, we bring in a new variety - Grey Chanterelles, Yellow Chanterelles, Porcini, Girolles and a Wild Mushroom Selection Pack (Pied de Mouton, Trompette de la Mort and Yellow Foot Chanterelles), as well as St Georges and Mousseron mushrooms.

Another element that continues to be particularly successful has been the introduction of freshly dug English new potatoes, namely Maris Bard. The crop is literally dug at night and sold loose in store the next morning, to retain its wonderful flavour.

We introduced Russian red kale and I believe we were the first retailer to do so. We have a fruit grower from whom we source speciality Belle de Boskoop cooking apples and this year introduced English dessert apple Rubens.

We also sell products like dirty carrots to enhance our freshness theme, and complete this image with a large proportion of our fruit and vegetables offered loose.

Do you anticipate any major changes in the range that you stock?

That is an ongoing challenge, which has particularly dominated fresh produce retailing over the last 10 years and brought in a lot of changes. New sources of supply, varieties and packs are always becoming available. The national media plays a part in defining choice, so we have to be aware of all these aspects.

Everything reflects the fact that the fresh produce sector is one of the most vibrant in the food industry. One only has to remember the impact that seedless grapes, easy peelers and prepared baby leaf salads made when they came onto the market. The list is endless, including the explosion of interest in avocados, kiwifruit and Pink Lady apples.

I am sure there is still a lot more out there we have yet to experience as consumer tastes become more sophisticated and interest in food grows.

Looking to the future, there may well be other criteria to be taken into account. We may also see the effect of food miles, while packs may also eventually carry carbon footprint information that may influence consumer choice.

The obvious question at this time is do you think that the economic climate will make a difference to shopping habits?

Absolutely. This is already happening across the high street. We have responded and will continue to respond to this aggressively in several ways, such as the introduction of giving prominence to a selected five lines, each at 50p. However, price is not the only criteria - it embraces the customer’s perceived value for money, which remains the same as when our definition of proving a successful service was first written.

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