Kevin Caulfield is a man on a mission. A career retailer, he is enthusiastic about his role as store manager of the recently revamped MACE Beaumont and is proud of its status as the flagship store for MACE’s new store design. He talks to Maev Martin about key food and technological innovations, and his ambitions for the future.
This BWG store began trading as a MACE store in 2007 and Kevin Caulfield has been the store manager since the refurbishment was completed and the new look store opened its doors in May.
“The revamp began in early April and the store began trading again on Thursday, 9 May,” says Kevin.
“One of the biggest changes to the store since the revamp is the increase in space, which is great.
“This is something that has been noted by both our retail team and our customers.
“It is also the aspect of the store that is most complimented by the local community, which is very impressed with the new look store.
“We are on a junction with a large carpark and a bus stop is located outside the store with buses taking people to the city centre and the airport, so we get a lot of custom from the local community and from passing trade, as well Ryanair staff who buy their coffees here.”
The increase in space, which is evident the minute you enter, applies to all areas of the store, allowing each section to make a positive impression on the shopper who now has plenty of space to navigate the store with ease.
This has been achieved by a carefully thought-out approach to the design and layout, as the overall store size – at 2,000 square feet – remains the same as it was prior to the revamp.
“The biggest challenge for us in revamping this store was the requirement to raise the ceiling,” says Kevin.
“Even though we only raised it about three to four centimetres, it was necessary to do this to allow the new LED signage to be visible and impactful throughout the store.”
These LED signs denote different areas within the store, such as groceries, off-licence, dairy, ATM, and drinks.
They are one of the most striking features of the new design and, as Kevin points out, they can also be seen clearly from outside the store after dark.
The off-licence section in many convenience stores can often appear to be rather haphazard in its appearance and approach to stock management.
However, the off-licence at MACE Beaumont is a standout feature of the new look store, with its creative overhead LED lighting array, clearly defined sections, and broad range of products.
“Our staff are well trained – maintaining high standards of customer service is very important to me and to my team,” says Kevin.
“Customers want to be able to find products easily and my attitude is that you must treat the store that you are managing like you would treat the maintenance and management of your own home.
"The Santa Helena range is a very strong seller in this expanded section and our range of premier wines is also popular.
“We have two bays of premium wines in our off licence, which some might consider unusual for a convenience store, but we have a very diverse range of customers, and we are finding that they are looking to experiment more with wine and sample a broader selection.
“RTDs are very popular during the summer months, but we are still very strong when it comes to LADs sales, and they tend to be a consistent seller all year long.
"However, we are conscious of the fact that we need to have a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for the summer of sport that is ahead of us!”
Deli Delights
Apart from the LED signage and impressive off-licence operation, the level of innovation in the new look store is perhaps most evident at the deli counter, where MACE Beaumont is promoting its Toasty Town concept – a menu of various toasted delights for customers who are keen to dine on-the-go.
“This is a completely new concept, with MACE Beaumont being the first MACE store to offer these new toasted sandwich options,” says Kevin.
While their Fresh + Hot cabinet adjacent to the deli counter is a feature of all MACE convenience stores, the cabinet in the Beaumont store features some new additions post revamp.
For example, tater tots, among other tasty treats, have been added to the typical products found at deli counters, such as jambons and sausage rolls.
“What is great about this Fresh + Hot cabinet is that it gives us the option to add tasty new snacks for our customers and, more importantly, to provide products all day long that might have only been available for a limited time at the deli counter.
For example, Beaumont Hospital is five minutes from the store, so staff on their break in the evenings can easily pick up something hot from our Fresh + Hot cabinet.”
MACE Beaumont’s deli counter also features a lunch menu that includes freshly made products such as lasagne and shepherd’s pie.
New to the deli counter is the Pazza Pizza brand, which was rolled out in the store on 5 June (the day after my visit).
“This new display features Margherita and pepperoni pizzas alongside tubs of pasta,” says Kevin.
“The base is supplied to us, and we have our own sauces and toppings, so these pizzas will be freshly made in store and then wrapped and ready for purchase.
"In addition, our large wine selection is the perfect complement to the Pazza Pizza offer, which is yet another ready-to-eat solution that we are offering our customers.”
MACE Beaumont have allocated a display area directly in front of the deli counter for this latest innovation.
According to Kevin, the deli and bakery sections are the strongest trading areas in-store and, of course, their Insomnia coffee concession, conveniently located near the entrance, is a big footfall driver.
“We are confident that the new product innovations that we have introduced in our deli, such as our Toasty Town toasties selection, which is already proving popular with customers, and our other exclusive innovation, Pazza Pizza, will play a key role in further boosting sales in this dynamic part of our operation,” he says.
Beyond the deli counter, their meal solutions display, which features a strong Fresh Choice Kitchen presence alongside The Irish Pastry House brand, is another big seller for the store.
The fresh fruit and vegetable display has also been expanded and now includes new wooden fruit and vegetable units near the front window, which have a similar look and feel to their bakery stand.
“We also introduced a new concept behind our Tobacco, Vapes and Essentials counter – the IScream ice cream concept – which we expect to be extremely popular, not just in the summer months, but all year round,” says Kevin.
Sustainable Credentials
Building its sustainable credentials is important to MACE Beaumont and these are already quite significant, with more innovations planned.
For example, the in-store fridges use less energy by deploying aerodynamic technology that is used in Formula 1 racing.
In addition, night blinds on fridges reduce refrigeration running costs by 40%.
The store also houses a small Envipco Reverse Vending Machine.
“It is important to have a RVM in the store so customers can have the option to return bottles or cans and get their money back,” says Kevin.
“It is easy to use, and we have got great feedback from customers, especially children, who love it! We hit the ground running with our RVM – there were no teething problems and I suppose having no old stock made it easier for us to introduce the new scheme than stores that were trading with both old and new stock.
“All our staff need to do is change the bin on the machine and Re-turn collects the bin once a week.”
Apart from the latest in energy efficient refrigeration and the successful rollout of the Deposit Return Scheme, the store takes every opportunity it can to tell shoppers about its sustainable credentials.
Wall signage in-store tells shoppers that the MACE sign is made from aluminium, which is fully recyclable, and that their eco-friendly planters, installed outside the store, harvest rainwater and promote biodiversity.
Shoppers are also informed about a host of other energy efficient features, such as blue curtains in the freezer rooms that reduce energy by 30%, aerators on taps that reduce water consumption by 20%, LED lights that are up to 90% more efficient than traditional light bulbs, their use of water-based paints instead of oil-based paints, and the fact that all timber used in the store is from sustainable and managed forests.
In addition, their floor adhesive supplier has an exclusive partnership with Cool Earth, who work to halt rainforest destruction.
All electrical equipment complies with WEEE regulation, and MACE Beaumont transported tiles for the new store on CNG trucks to limit its carbon footprint.
Going Digital
The use of digital technology in-store is a major aspect of the MACE Beaumont operation.
A prominently positioned digital screen in the front window of the store currently features MACE brand ambassador Johnny Sexton, but it can also feature a wide range of other content, depending on what is happening in the locality and the special promotions that are taking place in-store.
For example, MACE Beaumont had just used its front window screen to highlight the June bank holiday marathon.
“We are keen to enhance our links to the community by shining a spotlight on local events and the digital screen is a great way to do this,” says Kevin.
Wednesday, 5 June, was a big day for MACE Beaumont as they welcomed the introduction of electronic shelf edge labels throughout the store.
“Digital shelf edge labels, along with the use of digital screens in-store to impart information on promotions and other activities, are very important to the BWG brand,” says Kevin.
“With the roll out of the digital SELs, digital screens, and our LED signage, we are trying to cut down on, or completely avoid, paper within our stores.
"Apart from the digital screen in the window, we have three digital screens above our deli counter and one screen to tell shoppers about our IScream ice cream concession.”
A Career In Retail
Kevin Caulfield celebrated his 33rd birthday on 6 June, so he is a relatively young store manager, but he was also very young when he began his career in grocery retail.
His first position in the industry was at the tender age of 16 when he began working in a convenience store on Dorset Street.
His most recent role there was as store manager and he then got the opportunity to work with BWG in some of their other stores before taking over the new look MACE Beaumont, with the ultimate ambition of owning his own BWG store, or stores, in the not-too-distant future.
“I worked as a store manager on Dorset Street for six years, having worked as an assistant manager for five years, and before that I was a trainee manager,” says Kevin.
“I then sat down with BWG Foods director David Bagnall to discuss my career path and David and the senior management team opened so many doors for me from that point onwards.
"They gave me direction and a plan, one that I am confident can make my dream of store ownership with BWG a reality.
"In December 2023, I began working with Seamus McCafferty, head of the company owned stores with BWG Foods, and he assigned me to a store in Lucan and then to a store in Coolock, with the objective of taking over MACE Beaumont once the redevelopment was completed.
“I am a people person and I love retail,” he says.
“I am on first name terms with most of my customers and I have very good relationships with the senior management team in BWG, including David Bagnall and MACE Sales Director Keith Crawford, who was my Regional Operations Advisor when I was in Dorset Street, so I really appreciate the opportunity to manage a newly reopened store, especially one that is the first MACE store to feature the new store design.
“BWG are great to work for. I would recommend the Group to anyone interested in getting involved in the grocery retail industry.
“I’ve worked my way up from the bottom rung of the grocery retail industry with BWG – I started as a till assistant on Dorset Street on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and from there I worked in different sections in the store, including in the deli and on the shop floor, before becoming a key holder supervisor and then an assistant manager.
“For me, it was always about forging a career in retail.
“When I was seven or eight years old I’d set up shop outside my mum’s house and sell some of the groceries that she had bought to passersby!
“I was always fascinated by retail and any store revamps that are reported on in Checkout, or that I hear about in the trade, I tend to drive to and check out as I am keen to keep abreast of what is happening in the industry.”
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