Business boost forLBA scheme winner

Owner Dan Cluderay and his team beat off stiff competition from Worksop firm Sherwood Surveyors and Property Consultants and Retford specialist cricket shop Batting 4 6.

Approved Food will receive business advice from local experts as well as substantial advertising in the Worksop Guardian.

Father of two Dan, 37, who lives in Carlton, said he was overjoyed to hear his business had been chosen as the Worksop winner in the national contest.

“I am absolutely grateful and can honestly say it’s been a fantastic start to the New Year for us,” he said.

“Everything is dropping into place and we have got the people behind us now to put out the right message about what we do.”

Starting off as market traders in Hull and Doncaster, Approved Food first opened on Vulcan Place in Worksop three years ago and has since expanded to Dinnington and more recently its new premises in North Anston.

The website is updated daily and offers massive discounts on big-name products as well as more niche gourmet items not found in the major supermarkets.

Dan said new customer registrations have more than trebled in the past three years with an average of 1,000 new applications every day.

“I think that what makes us unique is that we have got a system which enables us to know what our customers want,” he said.

“We don’t just buy anything that’s short-dated – it’s knowing about our customers that makes us different.”

And he added that research into the most popular customer postcodes in the UK threw up some unexpected results.

“Our highest area for deliveries is in Kensington, London, which was really surprising,” he said.

“It’s because we sell products such as olives and artichoke hearts at really low prices, which people really like.”

Dan said they expect to turnover £10m this year and that last year’s figures show that nationally they saved their customers over £3.8m on their grocery shopping.

“Everybody loves a bargain. I think that even when I was on the markets five years ago we did well because everyone wanted a bargain,” he said.

“The credit crunch has just intensified this and I think that even when it is over people will still want value for money.”

Approved Food was picked as the regional winner for the Local Business Acclerator campaign which aims to boost fledgling businesses by offering support and advertising.

It will compete with other regional winners later this year to be picked as the overall winner who will receive individual menotring sessions from LBA ambassador Deborah Meaden, who will become their consultant and mentor for a year.

To find out more about Approved Food and receive regular product updates, visit www.approvedfood.co.uk, email [email protected] or call 0114 360 0961.