Known as the ‘steel city’ and the epicentre of English cutlery production from the 14th century onwards, Sheffield has a long and pointed history of cutting-edge innovation. Today, Sheffield is once again at the sharp end – with a range of multi-million-pound regeneration projects currently taking place across the city in a bid to hone it for the future. One retailer who is certainly on point with the plans is Jeyaseelan Thambirajah (Seelan) whose brand new city centre Premier store really is a cut above. Located on Sheffield’s busy Queen Street and surrounded by offices, student accommodation and University colleges, the brand-new store is Seelan’s 20th Premier – and his sharpest to date. Following an investment of around £400,000, Seelan’s pioneering new Premier opened for business on 28 February 2025, showcasing a range of cutting-edge concepts to surprise and delight Sheffield’s shoppers.

The site’s city centre location was a fairly new one on Seelan – whose impressive portfolio majors on stores in village and community settings – however, as he explains: “From the moment I saw it, I knew this site would represent a significant opportunity. It was totally different and very, very exciting. “It’s surrounded by offices and the University of Sheffield International College is only a two-minute walk away. There’s also accommodation all around, including homes for about 3,000 students.” The ideally located site was formerly a large open-plan office, offering Seelan and the Premier team a blank canvas primed for potential. And what a picture they have painted. The brand-new store treats shoppers to a host of head-turning new concepts, including a revolutionary ‘vape vault’ at the rear and high-impact 3D signage and new graphics throughout. Featuring 20 metres of shelving, the dedicated vape zone allows Seelan to offer adult vapers an unrivalled range of easy-to-browse vaping choice – in a space which can be securely sealed with a roller shutter at closing time. Next to the ‘vape vault’ is a state-of-the-art beer cave featuring 13 bays and a large central floor plinth on which to display Premier’s great-value range of bottled and canned lagers and ciders, multipacks, ales and stouts, and RTDs. On the outer wall and behind four smart energy-saving doors, shoppers can also take their pick from a wide range of chilled wines.

Responding to the store’s sizeable international student demographic, Premier Queen Street also features a unique frozen zone with dedicated freezers for Indian, Chinese and African ready meals and products – much of which is sourced from small and local suppliers. Four doors of space are also allocated to traditional British frozen fare – and ice cream of course! This international focus is also felt within the store’s 10-bay grocery offer, where four are dedicated to world foods including Caribbean, Indian and Chinese products among others. Given the store’s sizable passing trade opportunity, food to go forms another key part of the store’s offer. Greeting shoppers upon entry is a bold and bright Refresh@Premier bar featuring Skwishee and Millions Slush, Rollover Hotdogs and a Lavazza Classico coffee offer. “The Lavazza coffee offers shoppers great quality for an affordable price, which is so important to shoppers but especially students,” Seelan explains. “I want this store to offer them the best quality and value for money around and I want that message to be crystal clear from the moment they walk in.

“We are running as many promotions as possible and using PMP packs wherever we can, to really drive that home.” The store also offers a range of meal deals, including Premier’s popular ‘sandwich meal deal’ which is housed within a four-door fridge dedicated to chilled food to go. Two temping Cossiga units at the front of the store offer shoppers further food-to-go choice, including chilled treats and hot ready to eats. Seelan has also opted to fit the store with a large 10-metre run of soft drinks chillers adjacent to the chilled food-to-go offer where shoppers have easy access to a wide range of leading UK and international brands. “The store is like a game of two halves,” explains Seelan. “Passers-by looking for ‘to go’ solutions, including coffees and hot breakfast bites, can quickly and easily find everything they need at the front, while those on meal for tonight and evening missions can browse a fantastic range of chilled and frozen meal solutions, plus BWS and vape, at the rear,” “The support and service that I received from the Premier team when planning this store was nothing short of exceptional,” he adds. “So much time was spent getting every aspect exactly right. You don’t get that kind of support anywhere else.” Further supporting Seelan is his valued head office team, which last year, grew by a full seven new members. “My team now includes an inventory manager, an office account manager, an admin manager, building and refrigeration servicing managers and a dedicated retail support manager who visits all the stores,” he says.

“All this support enables me to drill right down into each of my stores’ unique demographic so that I can identify exactly who the customers are and what they need, before tailor-making each offer to fit just right. “That’s where the difference between an independent operator and a multiple is so clear to see. “My stores are like children and, like children, each one is totally different. What I am doing here in Queen Street I couldn’t do in Harlaxton Road. Each one is unique and that’s what’s so exciting to me.” Premier Queen Street is already proving a thrill to shoppers too, with excitement being driven to near-fever pitch thanks to a £5,000 investment in promotional giveaways. “Each week, for the first 12 weeks of trading, we are offering shoppers an amazing giveaway, from brand new iPhones to iPads and even air fryers,” Seelan says. “Yes, it’s a big cost, but I think it’s worth it, to help spread awareness of the new store.” While still very early days, shoppers are certainly engaging as hoped with the new store – which Seelan expects to eventually turn over in the region of £50,000 a week. “This is a totally new store, in a location where there wasn’t one before, so it will take a few weeks for word to spread and the store to hit its stride but once it does, I’m certain it will be a great success.” So are we. “The support and service that I received from the Premier team when planning this store was nothing short of exceptional. You don’t get that kind of support anywhere else.” Jeyaseelan Thambirajah Seelan invested around £400,000 developing the pioneering new Premier.