MEET MR. PATEL, THE OWNER OF REGENT NEWS ON BEAK STREET - OUR PARCELLY LOCATION OF THE MONTH!
This small convenience store and magazine shop, located not far from the infamous Picadilly Circus, is the social hub of the area and like the rest of our network provides an excellent customer service! What makes this specific location stand out though, is how well Regent News have conquered a bespoke click&collect service, by converting their unused storage space into a tailored storage solution for online retailers.
Last week we met up with Mr. Patel to ask him a few questions and learn more about his store and slightly unique (we reckon) experience with Parcelly...
Mr. Patel, how do you find the overall Parcelly service?
Very efficient and prompt as well. When I do get into a situation, I find that Parcelly representatives help me out a lot. There was one instance where I received a parcel and the Parcelly code was not on it. But after speaking to a Parcelly staff member the problem was resolved swiftly. The customer service team is very quick to respond - it’s like they never leave the phone!!
Is the Merchant app easy to operate? Have you found any issues with it?
Yes, it’s all very simple and straightforward. There was one issue where a customer had 3 parcels showing on the app, but only wanted to collect 2. But after speaking to customer service the issue was resolved there and then.
And do you have any feedback on ways we could improve the app?
No, not really, it’s all very smooth. As long as all the customer details are correct, it is as simple and fast to handle as it could be.
The storage solution you provide with us is quite a unique service, does that affect your day to day business in any way?
No, not really. Initially, it took a bit of time to set up, as we were not fully used to the service yet and the retailer we work with had specific space requirements on how to store the items. But now everything is set up and running and working very smoothly! We also have a great relationship with the lady who rents our space. The way of checking her products in and out is the exact same process as with the Parcelly Click&Collect service, so the transition was very easy.
Would you recommend to other businesses to provide a similar 'mini-warehousing' operation?
Yeah, I really would recommend it. The actual work you have to do with Parcelly as part of the service is very minimal, so why not earn a bit of extra money with your unused space?
Some of the items stored hold quite a high value, how do you ensure their security?
Well, the rented space is out of the way from day-to-day business and kept very secure. We have 24/7 CCTV to monitor the store at every moment. When the store closes we have very strong barriers covering the entrance, so we are very confident that all of the products are in good hands with us.
Were you surprised when England was knocked out of the 2018 World Cup?
No not really (ouch!), when we played against Croatia you could clearly see who was playing the better football and the best team won at the end! In fact, I think that England could have been knocked out a lot sooner...
What would you do if you had a million pounds to invest into this store?
I would rip it out and just start afresh. I think that I would just specialise in Magazines, as stuff like that doesn’t run out of date and it's something I quite enjoy. So yeah, I would become a Magazine store, no more junk food (plus Parcelly of course :-) Awesome..!)
Location: 45 Beak Street, London, W1F 9SD (What3Words: chat.cute.stump)
Opening Times: Monday-Saturday: 06:30-18:30 (Sunday: 10:00-16:30)
"The actual work you have to do with Parcelly as part of the service is very minimal, so why not earn a bit of extra money with your unused space?
Plus their customer service team is very quick to respond - it’s like they never leave the phone!!"Mr. Patel, Store Owner
Congratulations again to Regent News and a big THANK YOU for being such a great business partner and contributing towards Parcelly’s vision!
Parcelly aims to give business owners full control over their parcel flow, offering them the ability to modify the number of parcels they wish to receive, as well as the option to control the size of the parcels stored - all in real time via the app. This means that regardless of the storage capacity or nature of your business, we welcome you to offer our service and benefit from new customers, additional footfall to your store as well as an additional revenue stream.
If your business is interested in joining our nationwide network and becoming a Parcelly location for Click&Collect, Key Exchange or Mini-Warehousing services, please do not hesitate to CONTACT US.
