Local Face: Dary Sweeney

Dary Sweeney is a name that we will hear more about in Wendover. He has just bought the local Budgens store and plans to make many improvements. Over the past few weeks he has been talking to many people around the town to find out what we would like from our local Budgens. The feedback so far is that people want to see a better selection of seasonal fruit and vegetables, fresh herbs, better quality flowers, new ranges of breads and cakes, chilled soft drinks, beer and wine, whilst at the same time getting great value for money. Customers have also spoken about wanting local produce and good quality ready meals for busy evenings.

Budgens decided to sell all its stores to independent retailers so that the shops would better reflect what the local community wanted. Whilst the store will continue to trade under the Budgens banner, Dary will have the freedom to source ranges of food from alternative suppliers, reflecting the community and its’ needs. The first range introduced to the store is a range of hand made cakes and pies- Judiths Cakes, which have proved very popular. Dary is particularly keen to find local suppliers of fresh produce, so if you know anyone who produces a good quality product please ask them to contact him.

Dary has a long history in retail, most recently including 14 years with River Island. This experience will prove invaluable, as the modern supermarket, like any retailer, should react quickly to their customers ever changing needs and fashions in food, particularly as we are all keen to eat more healthily.

Plans are already afoot to make a number of changes; more refrigeration for drinks, a bigger range of snacks, a new premium range of prepared meals and a delicious range of bread baked on site. Also there are plans to deter people from parking for very long periods in the car park making it easier and more convenient to shop.

Dary is keen the shop should become your local one-stop shop, with a friendly personal touch

“I want to mix old- fashioned values and service with modern convenience” he says,” and whilst some improvements have already been made many more will be instigated in the coming months, so it’s worth visiting regularly to keep abreast of new developments.”

If you want to have your say in what our Budgens should stock, just drop in and talk to Dary or any member of the team, alternatively there are leaflets at the cash desk that you can complete or email dary@chiltern.wanadoo.co.uk