Retail Arbitrage Series: Farmfoods

Welcome back to the Retail Arbitrage Series. After covering a string of stronger performing stores, we’re now going to jump back into the supermarket set of stores, this time with Farmfoods. Farmfoods is a strange one, it’s not a shop I’d recommend including in your regular RA route, but it can be worth popping into if you’re passing by or find yourself near one of the bigger stores. It’s very hit or miss, and from my own experience (and that of other sellers), the further north you go, the better the Farmfoods tends to be.

A friend of mine in Scotland regularly picks up profitable electricals and home items from Farmfoods, while in the south, most stores are s**t! So this blog will walk you through how to approach Farmfoods if you’re going to give it a try, but it’s not a core store I’d recommend prioritising.

How Farmfoods Works

Farmfoods is best known as a discount food supermarket, it offers bulk buying options on frozen and packaged foods for decent prices for the consumer. But built into the shop, particularly at the ends of aisles or near the tills or a large area in the middle of the shop, you’ll sometimes find non-grocery items, including:

• Small electronics
• Fans, heaters, barbecues
• Swimming pools
• Toy bundles and home accessories

In the larger stores, there’s often a whole section dedicated to electronics, home, and toys, usually in the middle of the store or near the front, that’s the area to head to straight away.

You’re never in Farmfoods for long. If you’re visiting, it’s a quick in and out scan of the one section that might yield results.

Where to Find Profitable Items

Your best bet is to scan brand name electronics and seasonal items, especially:

• At the end of the aisles
• Near the tills or store entrance
• In standalone product displays in the centre

Products that can be worth checking include:

• Small heaters and fans (depending on season)
• Kitchen gadgets
• Cheap branded toys
• Inflatable pools or barbecues in summer

Again, this varies massively by store. Some Farmfoods branches stock barely any of this, while others will surprise you with a decent selection.

How Clearance Works

There is no dedicated clearance section in Farmfoods and there are no colour coded stickers or discounts applied in store. Everything you’ll find is just priced at their usual markdown, so you need to know your brands, source fast, and move on. The lack of structured sales makes it harder to identify value quickly, so just focus on what you know sells and look for items that stand out from the standard food stock.

Best Time of Year for Farmfoods

Farmfoods doesn’t really follow the same seasonal sourcing cycle as other retailers, it’s not affected by Q4 in the same way a toy store or supermarket might be. That said, some items do pop up at the right time of year, and it’s worth knowing what to watch out for:

• Winter (Jan–March): Portable heaters, thermal blankets, and winter accessories
• Spring/Summer: Paddling pools, BBQs, garden accessories, cheap outdoor toys
• Autumn: Clearance of summer gear and a few stray electricals

There isn’t really a spike in toys over Q4 in Farmfoods, stock levels do not change from my experience.

Farmfoods Hacks

1. Use Online Vouchers

Farmfoods regularly issues £2.50–£10 off vouchers for minimum spends via their website or leaflets. These can be scanned at checkout and stack nicely on your products.

2. Only Visit When You’re Nearby

This isn’t a store to go out of your way for. If you’re passing one or you see it near another RA stop, then pop in. Otherwise, save your fuel and time.

3. Head North for Better Stock

In general, northern branches carry more non food items. The further north you go, the better the Farmfoods RA experience usually.

Pros and Cons of Farmfoods

Pros:

• You can occasionally find high ticket electricals at great prices
• Items usually hold value because they’re not widely sourced by others
• Online vouchers help add instant margin
• Shops are quiet, and staff are reseller friendly
• Easy parking, especially on retail parks

Cons:

• No structured clearance, and limited sourcing opportunity
• Hit or miss stock, many stores have no RA worthy products
• No real Q4 benefit