A huge new cash and carry for both the trade and the general public will be officially opening its doors later this week with big savings on food and drink and household items. Nottingham Bazaar is stocked with fresh, frozen and canned produce, with a mix of brands well-known in the UK and interesting Turkish products at wholesale prices.
Located in Hucknall Road, Sherwood, the warehouse has two sections, with incoming goods and delivery on the left and access to traders and the public on the right. The new business replaces Nazar Foods in Leicester, run by Gokhan Erdogan. Demand was so high that it outgrew the premises.
Although not officially open until Saturday June 18, the cash and carry has already attracted customers, eager to see what it's all about. Although geared towards restaurants, takeaways, and shops, there's plenty for the public to get their hands on, with a mix of bulk buys and single items.
Read more: Channel 4's Gogglebox: Families who used to be on show - and what they're doing now
The warehouse stocks thousands of different products. Fruit and vegetables includes iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, mushrooms, peppers. lemons, and massive watermelons - so heavy you almost need a forklift truck to carry any number of them. Supersize tubs of yoghurt, milk, cheese, cans of squirty cream and cured meats are in the chiller.
Big names including Coca Cola, Fanta, Persil, Volvic, Doritos, Oreo, Snickers, Ribena and Huggies fill the shelves. But while there's well-known brands such as Heinz tomato ketchup and Hellman's mayonnaise, there's a sizeable amount of less recognisable makes usually found in Turkish supermarkets.
As well as Red Bull energy drinks, the German version Versage is also on sale and it's 40 per cent cheaper. Stock is still being priced up but when Nottinghamshire Live visited we saw a 2.5kg bag with 1,100 PG Tips pyramid teabags for £16.99 and packets of pasta for 49p.
A freezer selection has vegetables, ice cream, chips and doner meat. Burger buns, herbs, olives, jam, marmalade and no fewer than 30 different types of honey can be found. No VAT is charged on food.
The household section includes everything from washing powder and washing up liquid to nappies and cling film. Paper plates, gin glasses, waffle makers and coffee pots are amongst the eclectic finds.
Most stock is imported from Turkey and Morocco but the milk and eggs are sourced locally and the potatoes are grown in Lincolnshire. It goes without saying that Turkey's most famous confectionary is on sale. The boxes of Turkish Delight contain all kinds of flavours such as rose, pistachio and kiwi.
Spokesman Alan O'Dell said: "We want to offer real value for money to all customers and we want to offer a first class service. We are aware of the cost of living increase and will do our best to combat it.
For the last five days we've had a stream of people coming in - Turkish, English and Asian caterers and members of the public. The selection that could appeal to the public is considerable. We offer a huge range of interesting products that they possibly haven't tried before."
Rose jam, sage tea, blueberry and orange fizzy drinks, artichoke bottoms and dried black limes are some of the more unusual products shoppers will find. Customers will need to register for a cash and carry card but there's no criteria, such as having to own a business, to qualify.
The original warehouse in Leicester attracted restaurants and takeaways from further afield and the delivery service is continuing from the Nottingham site across the Midlands, West Anglia, up to Manchester and parts of Yorkshire.
The cash and carry will start out opening from 8am to early evening. But eventually, once fully staffed, it will be open 24/7 so restaurateurs and takeaway owners can visit early morning or after late-night closing.
The 45,000 sq ft premises, negotiated by Goktan Sendervent, of G. Property Services, were transformed from Plumline Bespoke Joinery. Mr O'Dell added: "The business literally outgrew the premises in Leicester. They were looking for a place to expand when this came up. All the frontage is new, the inside is custom-built and with all the stock, you are looking at a multi-million pound investment here."
