Dream Store

Acting to prevent fuel leaks just makes sound business sense

Nearly two decades after realising her childhood dream by becoming the owner of a small supermarket in Toowoomba, Queensland, Tracie Batzloff’‘s passion for the business shows no sign of abating.

Indeed, the Spar Express Mackenzie Row that she runs with her husband Geoff has just been named Spar Express Store of the Year for the second time in a row … a testament to the couple’s commitment, drive and business instincts.

Something different & special

It is clear there is something different and something special about the 250 square metre store from the moment you set foot inside. The premises are literally packed to the rafters, and there is even shelving hanging from the ceiling.

“We are always wanting to find extra space for extra products, for exclusive products … there is so much we want to do,” said Tracie. “We are very proud of our gourmet deli and we stock a large range of gourmet products, including a large gluten-free range, special olive oils and dressings, takeaway homemade meals, pizzas, olives, feta, cheeses, home-made dips … all sorts.”

The store also carries a wide selection of flowers that are delivered fresh every day.

“We even do gourmet hampers and one company has ordered 200 of them this Christmas,” said Tracie. “We sell them for just the price of the products inside but we add a bit of personal flair and we also do gift bags.”

Toowomba boasts a population of some 120,000 and yet shoppers come from all areas of it to enjoy the unique range on offer at the Spar Express Mackenzie Row.

“We get a lot of people from country towns coming in and we just had two ladies in from Roma who could not believe the shop,” said Tracie. “They said again and again what a fantastic store it was … it made my day as it is always so good to get feedback and to be appreciated.”

Tracie and Geoff take enormous pride in their unique mix of products and, if a customer brings in an empty bag, and says ‘can you get this product?’ they will go out of their way to source it.

Customer service & community support

However, it is not just the range that makes the couple’s store special. It offers a lot of support to local schools and community causes, and it is committed to providing customers with fantastic levels of service. Situated in a fairly affluent area of Toowomba, the store caters to a large number of retired customers and is happy to offer a home delivery service, as well as carrying customers’ bags to cars if required.

“We have been here 19 years now and know 90% of our customers on a first name basis,” said Tracie. “We have seen their children born, grow up and get married … and they have watched our children grow too.

It’s a similar story with the staff and Tracie says they are treated more like friends than employees.

“Sometimes it is hard to find the right people,” she said. “So, when we do, we try hard to keep them happy and so we have a low staff turnover.

The couple’s two daughters Ellie, 14, and Abbie, 10, have also both been helping out in the shop since a very young age.

The store, which is open seven days a week from 6am to 7pm, has 17 staff members and serves 700 customers a day, a number boosted no doubt by the fact that there are four schools relatively close by. Tracie is quick to pay tribute to the strong support offered by the Spar Group whose team she says has been friendly, approachable and incredibly knowledgeable throughout. And she says their quest to keep the store dynamic and interesting by such measures as hosting plenty of product tastings, as well as putting blackboards out the front has really paid off.

Location has also been their friend. The store is situated next door to a butcher’s on one side and a bottle shop on the other, businesses which Tracie feels complements their own. Up until a couple of years ago there was also a hairdresser on the floor above but the couple bought it out and, in so doing, increased their store’s floor space from 200sqm m to 250sqm.

“We do a lot of re-investing in the store and have made many changes over the years,” said Tracie. “We have seen a lot of improvements and are always keen to move with the times and keep the presentation up to scratch.”

All in all, the Batzloffs have come a long way since they first acquired the business and were working 100 hours a week, seven days a week.

“When we first started we didn’t have kids and in those early years we poured our hearts and souls into it,” said Tracie. “We had no staff back then and it was certainly a steep learning curve.”

Although there may have been no staff initially, Geoff’s father, Sid, has been helping out at the store from day one, and he still comes in four days a week, aged 80, to lend support and practical help.

With the couple’s two daughters also helping out around the shop, it is a real family affair. Indeed, Ellie is not that much younger than Tracie was when she started working at a corner shop on Sundays, and started to dream of one day owning her own grocery shop.

And so what comes next? Another store? A bigger store?

“They are things we have thought about,” admits Tracie. “But we are hands-on operators and I think the fact that we are here in the store every day makes a real difference and customers notice it.”

While the couple still often works full days together, sometimes one of them will do the morning shift and the other the afternoon … or at least that’s the plan.

“One of us who isn’t working tends to pop into the shop for a few minutes and then still be there three hours later,” said Tracie. “There is a lot happening and always something that needs doing.”

And when she is not in the store, Tracie will often be off at food fairs around the country sourcing the new products that help to make the Spar Mackenzie Row such a special place to shop.

“Why would we want to change what we do … we have found a niche,” said Tracie. “If you are happy and enjoying what you are doing, why would you do anything else?”

Who says dreams don’t come true?