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Shop Features
A Lennon – November 2010
The location of the purpose-built Commonwealth Games Athletes' Village is in Glasgow's East End and is at the heart of one of Europe's largest regeneration areas. It will be capable of housing the expected 6,500 athletes and CGA team officials at the 2014 Games. The Athletes' Village will be further developed to become an attractive residential area comprising of a total of 1,400 homes as part of the Games Legacy.
While there is still work to be done in preparing Celtic Park for the opening ceremony and Hampden Park for the athletics and closing ceremony, one local butcher is already out of the starting blocks and ready for all the action.
Arthur Lennon can be rightly proud of the butchers' business that he has developed over the last ten years. Back in April 2000 Arthur had a vision that not many around him shared. He lived in the East End of Glasgow and passed by this closed up butchers shop daily. Always hankering after running his own business, it was a tough decision to make and one that had his friends questioning his marbles as he gave up a steady safe job and sold his prized BMW 318is Coupe to amass the funds required to take over the lease.
Arthur Lennon started his butchery career in an independent butchers' shop in Carntyne before at the age of 21 going to work with Sainsburys. He worked in their stores in Darnley, East Kilbride, and Hamilton before becoming stock control manager in their Stirling store. When he left Sainsburys it was made quite clear to him that he would be welcomed back and he left with every good wish for his future success.
Since selling that BMW thankfully Arthur has never looked back. He has increased sales year on year, bought his lease out after 18 months and expanded into the larger neighbouring shop in 2007. Barely recognisable from the tiny narrow shop that was run by Jim Ewing and then Martin Murray the shop has a welcoming shop front with the interior beaming out freshly stocked refrigerated cabinets.
The walls are lined with Altro Whiterock, the floors are all coved and covered with Altro flooring. Dundee based Bentleys completed the shop fitting, Watco provided the refrigeration, Baro the lighting and Bizerba the scales.
The U shaped Eurocryor cabinets are neatly filled with typical West of Scotland attention to detail. There is a discreet level of use of marinades and coatings with Arthur's customers demonstrating a taste for peppered beef, Mexican tastes and minted lamb. Black trays with easily identifiable curved edges are used in the dedicated cooked meat display and the slicing of cooked meat is undertaken in a specially set aside area with an ideally placed wash hand basin.
Upstairs there is a production area where sausages and steak pies are made. Stuck in the corner Arthur has his office where he has an uncanny knack of being able to put his hands on every detail.
He has clear pockets with weekly performance records, the necessary HACCP plans and reviews, the front shop refurbishment plans and even his P60 from Sainsburys as a constant reminder of why he wants his business to succeed.
From the start beef and lamb have been supplied by local wholesaler Neil Ewing of JF Findlay, Robertsons supply Lennon's pork and Thompson Pegs the fresh poultry. This is prepared by Arthur and his staff of nine butchers. His wife Karen pitches in behind the counter every Tuesday and when required during holidays and the busy festive season.
Customers exceed 2000 per week but that doesn't just happen. Word of mouth has brought trade through his door and the good looks of the shop itself has attracted customers to give it a go after seeing it from the bus or sitting in their car at the traffic lights. Parking is possible on street in front of the shop and in an area behind the premises.
From across the street you can smell the steak cooking for the pies and when you enter through the double doors the front shop has a fresh, extremely clean smell.
Impressively this is a business that spills out evidence of hard work and has a clear forward thinking strategy. That includes key staff specifically in post because of the strength of their customer service skills.
Arthur explained the psychology that undoubtedly rubbed off on him from his supermarket experience, “the first impression is the most important. I want people to walk in, be attracted by nice colours, take time to look and be greeted by a nice smiling face behind the counter – 'Hiya, can I help you.'”
There is a large Tesco Extra store not far from Lennons but Arthur feels that the multiple has actually brought business into Shettleston. The main street has few empty units; there are several pubs, off licences, carry out shops, hairdressers, fast food shops. “That tells you that the people of Shettleston like to go out and socialise, they like to look good and they like their good food.”
Through the Commonwealth Games development, the Glasgow City Council looks to further bring social and economic value and regeneration to this area and Arthur hopes to benefit from custom from those extra 1400 homes “People are getting more and more confident about the small independent. I am very positive about the future, the future of the business and the trade.” No one should be surprised to discover that Arthur is back on the road and now drives a Lexus!
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