The month's projects - March 2019

As in many other countries, independent butcher shops have decreased by 60% in the UK over the last 30 years. In 1990, there were 15,000 butcher shops throughout the country, whereas now there are 6,000. So, in order to survive you need to offer your customers something special to compete with the convenience of shopping in supermarkets. Today, independent butchers must be willing to change with the times and understand market trends. Hence many butcher shops are taking steps to offer a wider range of products and services than just raw meat. A decline in traditional independent specialist stores such as butchers, bakers, fishmongers and grocers has meant that surviving stores have had to convert in order to incorporate some of that business. It's very common to see a delicatessen with a small butcher counter, or a butcher shop that has made room for cheeses, cold cuts and bread. Some butchers provide a catering service for events or prepare roast pork for festive occasions, whereas others have adapted and offer hot food for lunches. That was the main reason why we opened this second shop. The historical shop in Brackley is very small and there was no opportunity to expand, whereas the size of the new shop in Buckingham allowed us to set up our kitchen. Here we make sausage rolls, cakes and pastries. We have a hot food counter where we serve take-away breakfasts and lunches. We start work between 5am and 6am every day to take advantage of early business before many local bars and cafeterias open!