Farmer feedback helps develop new £1m ‘superstore’

10:09am Wednesday 29th November 2006

A farmer-owned agricultural supply co-operative says its new £1million superstore' at Cardigan has been developed as a direct result of farmer feedback.

When a redevelopment scheme forced Clynderwen and Cardiganshire Farmers to sell its town centre site, it grasped the opportunity to ask farmer customers exactly what they wanted from a new store.

"We had 700 replies to the questionnaire we circulated and the message we had was that farmers very much wanted the branch to stay in Cardigan. But they saw the move as an opportunity to develop an open and friendly store that could be big enough to sell a wider range of goods," said general manager Keith Gosney.

He reckons the new 10,000 square foot store at Parc Teifi, located on the Newcastle Emlyn road out of Cardigan, should achieve each of those objectives.

There will be a broader range of stock on sale and it will give the co-operative the opportunity to branch out into other goods, such as wood burning stoves.

Mr Gosney says it will provide a blueprint which can be rolled out to other stores. "We want to keep up that customer involvement by asking them to tell us what we might be doing wrong once the store is up and running," he said. "I'm not so arrogant to believe that we have got everything just right, we need to listen, learn and change."

Arable and livestock farmer David George, who has been a customer at the Cardigan branch of CCF for many years, believes the location of the new store is an excellent one.

"It is very convenient for customers approaching from all directions," said Mr George, of Dyffryn, Llangoedmore.

He thinks the store will provide a better service to farmers in the area because of the broader range of goods on sale.

He said: "This is a busy farming area and as farmers we always welcome new investment."

The building, which opens on December 4th, will include a trading area where staff, including the sales manager, David Evans, buyers, Lyn Williams and Karen Bevan, and new retail manager, David Adams, will be based.