Discover the five changes that helped boost Raheem Ali Razaq’s business by 30% in just a year.
by Sarah Britton
Raheem Ali Razaq took over the family business in December 2024 and over the course of the next year he implemented a raft of changes to Ali’s Nisa Royston in Glasgow. As well as refitting the store, introducing a smart Nisa fascia and digital screens, Raheem also made key changes that have helped his business to grow 30% in the last year.
Accessibility
I realised it was a bit difficult for disabled people and elderly people coming into the shop. We didn’t have an automatic door, and the entrance was very narrow, so we ripped it out and we had the pavement outside tarmacked so that a wheelchair could enter more easily. We opened up the doorway to nearly 1.5m and got an automatic door. Now we get a lot of elderly people coming to access the post office and through the aisle space we’ve got nothing on the floor anymore.
Customer service
Customer service is a main focus for us. When I came in, I had to change 50% of the staff because the previous staff were rude; they weren’t listening to others and had no etiquette. When I took over, I was on the tills training the new staff and we’ve improved service greatly. We made it clear that uniforms are a must and smiles are too. I was on the floor for a few months to see what customers wanted and what their complaints were; without their feedback I don’t think we’d be here.
We also bought Quail digital headsets so that staff can communicate better. Two is a queue for us, so any time there are two or more customers waiting, staff can call for help on the headset and the next person’s got to jump on the till to serve them.
Store ambience
I made keeping the store clean, neat and tidy a priority. Staff are now brushing every half an hour. We also got an EasAroma scent machine from Aromatise. The supplier put it in for £500 and then you add a fragrance bottle for £240. It’s got a Bluetooth app and you can set it up to spray every one or two mins. The bottles last three or four months.
They do it when you go to [luxury kitchen and bathroom store] Porcelanosa. That’s where I got the idea from. Now when everyone comes in, they say how nice the shop smells – it leads to a really positive vibe.
Value
We have between 120 and 150 kids coming in from local schools. It’s a poor area and kids get very little money, so we decided to offer them a special discount. We were charging £3.50 for a wrap, and we reduced it to £1.95 for all the school kids. Then I spoke to Britvic and they helped us – every eight weeks they give us stock to give free to the kids, such as Fruit Shoots.
We also offer a wider range of products from Co-op’s Honest Value range to make shopping at the store more affordable.
Community
I was very keen on investing in our community. They have given to us for the last 21 years. We’ve got very loyal customers, and it was a neglected store [before I took over]. The community helps us and we’ve got to help the community as well.
In 2025 we sponsored the local football team and gave over £1,000 to charity. We’ve given £350 to The Scottish Association for Children with Heart Disorders. We gave £200 to the St Roch’s Secondary School. We gave £550 to Beatson Cancer Charity and £100 to Rosemount Lifelong Learning.
The store also held a 21st anniversary celebration with free food, including freshly prepared samosas, cakes, biscuits and ice cream. We gave away 300 goodie bags. The Millions Mascot and Spiderman were there too.
