An independent greengrocer has been “overwhelmed” by the support from customers, having launched an online shop which saw scores of orders overnight.
The Green Grocers, which is in Norwich’s Earlham House Shops, put its online store live last night and has already had 65 orders pour in.
The Green Grocers is a wholefood retailer with an attached bakery, which focusses on promoting organic and local produce.
MORE: Norfolk house builder to reopen sites next monthOwner Luke Coathup said: “We already had a delivery service up and running with some of the more basic ingredients. We’ve got about 650 products online and we’re adding more daily – but if people call us we’ll do whatever we can to help.
“Currently we’re delivering in the NR1 to NR8 area, but if we have enough demand from another location to make it environmentally viable then we’ll look at delivering to them too. This has already happened in Trowse – some neighbours got together to do an order and we got a van out to them.”
The shop in Earlham Road, which stocks around 9,500 product lines, is still open for business and is manned by five members of staff.
“We’re working flat out to safely help as many customers as we can,” said Mr Coathup. “I think the way people viewed shopping changed almost overnight, because people didn’t want to queue for hours to get into a big supermarket where the shelves hadn’t been restocked.
“Instead they want to come to the little guy, where they can find what they need and take a coffee to go. It’s amazing to see how pleased people are to be able to get something as simple as a decent coffee.”
Staff have also been selling off ingredients like lard and flour which are usually used in the bakery, and are teaching customers how to use it to bake their own bread.
MORE: Firm accused of putting ‘profits before people’ as 100 contractors brought onto site“I have had to furlough some people,” said Mr Coathup. “It was purely so that we could have social distancing in the store and make sure everyone’s safe. The customers – our regulars and the new ones we are seeing – are keeping us all going.”
For more information visit www.thegreengrocers.store/
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