EasyFoodstore sets four rules to cope with ‘overwhelming demand’
After bargain-hungry shoppers besieged the store, forcing its closure for one day at the beginning of this month, the business will now limit customers to 10 units of the same item per day. So shoppers can buy 10 cans of tuna and/or 10 cans of baked beans but no more than 10 cans.
“This is to prevent shopkeepers from purchasing stock to resell at a higher price,” according to the store’s website.
‘Purchasing stock to resell at a higher price’
The three other new rules cover an increase in price, a reduction in range and new store opening hours.
On pricing, the new promotional price for the months of March and April 2016 will be lifted by 4p to 29p for all items, while stocks last.
The range of products stocked by the business will fall from the beginning of next month from about 70 food and drink products to 40 “best selling items”.
And from last Monday (February 15) the store opening hours changed to Monday to Friday from 11am until 5pm – excluding Bank holidays – in order to facilitate store restocking and cleaning.
Customers queuing outside its single store in Park Royal, north west London, are being offered a selection of free promotional Items.
Branded items
“Branded items such as rulers, wallets and coffee mugs are being handed out promoting easy.com and its family of brands,” according to the firm.
New buying limit
“This is to prevent shopkeepers from purchasing stock to resell at a higher price.”
Food and drink products sold included: chicken pizza, tinned vegetables and instant tea and coffee.
Meanwhile, the store was forced to close on Thursday February 4, as bargain-hungry shoppers cleared the shelves, outpacing suppliers’ ability to replace the stock.
“The reason for this store closure is that due to the huge publicity that our 25p promotion has attracted,” said a statement on the firm’s website.
Millionaire entrepreneur behind the Easy empire, Stelios Haji-Ionnou said the store aimed to be a new “easy branded player that sits in between food banks and discount retailers”.
He previously said the UK food and drink retail market offered: “a niche below some of the current budget operators, such as Aldi and Lidl”.
Other brands in the easy empire included: easyJet, easyBus, easyCar and easyHotel.
easyFoodstore’s four new rules
- Customers limited to 10 units of the same item per day
- New promotional price for March and April will be lifted by 4p to 29p for all items
- Product range to fall from 70 food and drink products to 40
- Store opening hours now Monday to Friday from 11am until 5pm
