An independent supermarket on Prescot Road has become a key supplier to Liverpool restaurants. L7 Village Market has been serving the Fairfield community for more than 15 years, offering products from around the world. Manager Sahan Aslan, 25, says visitors will find "products they would only find if they'd travelled abroad."
From butchers to bakery
The store includes a butchers and an in-house bakery, with goods from European, African and Asian countries. Sahan said: "My father saw an opportunity, there wasn't any big superstores to provide goods you wouldn't typically find in your Sainsburys or Asdas."
He acknowledged the challenge of competing with large retailers: "You can't compete on the bulk buying purchasing power of big retailers. But how we do compete is our offerings, our butchers, we provide our meat to a lot of well-established restaurants in Liverpool such as Elif, next door restaurant Anar, and Duman in Aintree, and many more. Not many people know this, it's one of our strengths, it's restaurant grade meat."
The bakery produces over 1,000 units of Turkish long bread daily, supplying cafes and Turkish restaurants that collect fresh each day.
From 'business plan designed to fail' to community hub
When the family launched the supermarket, some thought it was "a business plan designed to fail." Sahan said: "There wasn't much prosperity at that time. But we envisioned for the community to make it a place to go to. It started as a supermarket, now Anar restaurant is in the car park, and then there's Aslan barbers."
He described the area as an "ideal day out": "People are looking for more affordable hospitality, so you come there for free parking, go get a haircut, go to the restaurant for breakfast or kebab, then go grocery shopping. There are more places opening there."
Over 30,000 products and loyal regulars
The supermarket now stocks over 30,000 products. Sahan said: "We try our very hardest. If there's something a customer wants, we'll try our best to make sure it's there in a few working days." He called it "still a hidden gem in Liverpool," adding that social media efforts have been limited, with the ethnic community initially knowing about it.
Despite that, the store has maintained loyal customers. Sahan said: "The retention we have kept since we opened is incredible. It took a while for people to recognise there was a place where you could buy products from your home country. It was all through word of mouth, there was no social media. But that's the best way to get customers, through referrals, the organic way."
He highlighted the personal service: "You get to speak to our friendly staff. You ask them, 'Where is the black pepper powder?' They will show you. But then they will tell you that there is black pepper powder in this aisle, but also from this country, and another country. You get a lot of interaction, and that's what makes us different."
