COMPANY INFORMATION
What products or services you offer?
Costrick operates as a business-to-business (B2B) digital platform designed to revolutionize the way convenience stores interact with wholesalers and manufacturers. At its core, the company provides a Comparison-Shopping Engine (CSE) that serves as a centralised hub for convenience stores to access real-time information on products from various wholesalers. This includes comparing options, checking availability, discovering new items, and viewing promotions and offers, all within a single, user-friendly interface. The current platform is accessible via chrome, Microsoft edge, and safari. Mobile applications will be available on both the App Store for Apple devices and Google Play for Android devices by 2026. Website management and hosting services are outsourced through costrick developer team, ensuring seamless performance with features like 24/7 support, customisable payment gateways (though not focused on e-commerce directly), and tools for creating online newsletters. The mobile app development and maintenance are handled internally by Costrick’s technical and software teams, who are responsible for innovating and updating the app to meet user needs. Beyond the core CSE, Costrick offers data monetisation services where anonymised insights on order patterns, popular products, and sales trends are collected and provided to wholesalers and manufacturers to inform their business decisions. Future expansions include advanced features powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), such as waste management features and systems for tracking expiration dates and reducing food and packaging waste, as well as image processing for product recognition. These services aim to digitise traditional processes, eliminating the need for physical leaflets and multiple browser tabs, thereby streamlining stock purchasing for small retailers. Costrick’s offerings are geared toward creating an eco-friendly, efficient ecosystem that connects wholesalers, manufacturers, and convenience stores, fostering better communication and operational efficiency in the retail sector.
When the company was established and its significant milestones.
Born in mid-2023 when founders Dhanraj Solanki and Hemant Thapa spotted a need for better digital tools for Glasgow’s convenience stores. Officially launched as Costrick Ltd in spring 2024, we started helping local shops streamline stock ordering. From 2023-2024, we built a prototype, partnered with wholesalers, and saw strong early interest from stores, all while growing with support from Glasgow’s uHatch. By 2024-2025, we expanded across Scotland with a new website, added delivery options, and hired key team members to push for a bigger market share. Looking to 2025-2026, we plan to launch a mobile app and grow into other UK regions. As of mid-2025, Costrick is moving forward, focused on innovation and empowering small retailers.
Where you operate – local, national, or international markets.
Headquartered at 6 Ristol Road, Glasgow, G13 1UY, United Kingdom, with its office incubated at uHatch in Glasgow for the initial two years of trading. This location in Scotland’s largest city provides a strategic base, given Glasgow’s vibrant retail scene and proximity to numerous convenience stores and wholesalers. Operations began locally in Glasgow, focusing on a small niche within the convenience store segment to test and refine the platform. The company initially targets convenience stores in Scotland, merging data from local wholesalers to create a service that addresses regional needs. As part of its expansion strategy, Costrick plans to scale nationally across the United Kingdom, starting with full coverage in Scotland and then extending to England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. This phased approach allows the business to build a market reputation before broader rollout. While the platform has the potential for UK-wide delivery through wholesaler partnerships, there are no current international operations mentioned, keeping the focus domestic to ensure relevance to UK-specific retail challenges like competition from national brands and sustainability regulations. The digital nature of the platform enables remote access, making it operable from anywhere in the UK, but the core team and incubation remain rooted in Glasgow to leverage local talent and networks.
Number of employees or financial status, if relevant.
C0-Founder Dhanraj Solanki and Hemant Thapa, who bring a wealth of expertise in business and technology. Based in Glasgow, Scotland, their vision powers a platform that streamlines operations for convenience stores. The compact founding team established a robust foundation, combining skills in innovation and strategy.
In 2024, Costrick bolstered its capabilities with a software engineer to enhance the platform’s functionality and a part-time marketer to expand outreach. These efforts ensure the platform remains intuitive and reaches more retailers, helping small businesses manage operations efficiently.
By 2025, Costrick plans to further refine its platform, focusing on new features and a broader market presence. The team prioritises technical excellence and customer engagement, delivering tools tailored to the retail sector’s needs. The founders’ leadership fosters a collaborative environment, steering efforts to create value for users.
Costrick’s small team is dedicated to empowering convenience stores with practical, innovative solutions. The focus remains on delivering a reliable platform that helps retailers thrive in a competitive landscape. The founders’ combined expertise ensures the company remains agile and responsive to industry demands.
As of mid-2025, Costrick’s tight-knit team continues to drive progress. By emphasising innovation and efficiency, we support local retailers, helping them overcome challenges and grow. Our work reflects a commitment to transforming the convenience store sector with smart, practical solutions.
Company's core purpose, values, and long-term vision
Mission is to provide a user-friendly communication path between wholesalers, manufacturers, and convenience stores, bridging gaps in the supply chain through digital innovation. This core purpose is rooted in empowering small retailers by simplifying their daily operations and fostering stronger connections within the retail ecosystem. The company’s values emphasize sustainability, efficiency, and community support, with a strong commitment to serving the common good. This includes creating an eco-friendly interface that reduces reliance on paper leaflets, promotes waste management through AI and ML algorithms for expiration tracking, and contributes to broader environmental goals like tackling climate change and improving human sustainability. In the long term, Costrick’s vision is to empower sales growth and profits for convenience stores, enabling them to serve local communities more efficiently. This vision extends to becoming Scotland’s foremost B2B service provider for wholesalers and convenience retailers, and eventually establishing itself as a single, unified wholesaler platform across the United Kingdom. By digitizing stock ordering processes, the company aims to boost productivity and growth in the retail industry, allowing convenience stores to compete with larger national brands. Ultimately, Costrick envisions a future where its platform not only saves time but also drives positive change, such as reducing food and packaging waste and advertising promotions digitally to align with governmental sustainability initiatives in Scotland and the UK.
How we differentiate ourself from competitors and your unique selling proposition (USP).
Conceived to tackle the challenges faced by convenience stores, particularly the time-intensive task of comparing prices across multiple wholesalers. Our innovative B2B platform, tailored specifically for the retail sector, delivers real-time, location-specific product and pricing insights, streamlining stock ordering for small businesses.
Unlike broader comparison platforms, Costrick focuses exclusively on the needs of convenience stores and their wholesale partners. By integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning, we offer predictive analytics for pricing trends and tools for waste management, going beyond simple comparisons to promote sustainability. Our user-friendly interface, accessible on web and planned mobile apps, eliminates the need for multiple tabs or paper catalogues, providing a seamless experience.
Unique selling proposition lies in its free-to-use comparison-shopping engine, empowering retailers with instant access to product availability, promotions, and planning tools. Wholesalers benefit from anonymised data insights, enabling smarter decision-making. This dual-value approach—saving time for retailers and optimising operations for suppliers—sets us apart in a market reliant on outdated, fragmented methods.
Our platform’s eco-friendly focus, including digital promotions and waste reduction features, aligns with environmental goals, helping retailers and wholesalers operate more sustainably. Strong local partnerships ensure reliable data, while our scalable model supports growth from Glasgow to a national level. By addressing unmet needs like efficient stock management and sustainable practices, Costrick delivers a forward-thinking solution that drives efficiency and supports small businesses in a competitive retail landscape.
A detailed description of our offerings.
Primary offering is a digital Comparison-Shopping Engine (CSE) platform that functions as a price comparison tool for convenience stores, similar to established sites but specialized for the wholesale retail sector. The platform aggregates data from various local wholesalers, allowing users to search for products, compare options, view promotions and offers, and check availability in real time. Upon logging in, convenience stores can access a dashboard that pulls up relevant wholesaler products and enables order placement directly through the system, with wholesalers handling fulfillment. The website, hosted on WIX, serves as the landing page with an easy user interface, support for newsletters, and designing tools for customization. Mobile application development ensures the service is accessible on the go, with the app hosted on Apple and Google stores and available for download via the website. Key features include structure for registration, where store owners sign up with details like name, designation, shop address, and contact, choosing wholesalers based on location. For wholesalers, the app structure allows product listing and promotion advertising. Future enhancements involve AI-driven tools for analyzing price trends, predicting changes using historical data, and managing waste through expiration tracking and data management systems. The service also includes data collection on best-selling and least-selling products, helping manufacturers monitor performance and market new items. Intellectual property protections, such as trademarks for the platform, ensure uniqueness, while compliance with data protection regulations safeguards user information. Overall, Costrick’s offerings create a holistic digital ecosystem that streamlines the stock ordering process from discovery to decision-making.
How these offerings benefit your target customers.
Platform benefits convenience stores by saving significant time on stock ordering, allowing owners to focus on growing their businesses rather than manually checking multiple sources. By providing real-time comparisons and availability checks, stores can make informed purchasing decisions, ensuring they stock popular items and take advantage of promotions, which enhances their competitiveness against larger chains. Wholesalers and manufacturers gain from anonymized data insights that reveal trends in orders and product performance, enabling them to optimize inventories and marketing strategies. The eco-friendly aspects, like digital promotions reducing paper waste, align with sustainability goals, helping customers contribute to environmental efforts without additional effort. AI features for waste management minimize losses from expired goods, promoting efficiency and reducing operational waste. Overall, these offerings boost productivity, foster better supply chain relationships, and support community-oriented retail by empowering local stores to serve efficiently.
How these offerings benefit your target customers.
Customer benefits convenience stores by saving significant time on stock ordering, allowing owners to focus on growing their businesses rather than manually checking multiple sources. By providing real-time comparisons and availability checks, stores can make informed purchasing decisions, ensuring they stock popular items and take advantage of promotions, which enhances their competitiveness against larger chains. Wholesalers and manufacturers gain from anonymized data insights that reveal trends in orders and product performance, enabling them to optimize inventories and marketing strategies. The eco-friendly aspects, like digital promotions reducing paper waste, align with sustainability goals, helping customers contribute to environmental efforts without additional effort. AI features for waste management minimize losses from expired goods, promoting efficiency and reducing operational waste. Overall, these offerings boost productivity, foster better supply chain relationships, and support community-oriented retail by empowering local stores to serve efficiently.
A clear definition of your ideal customer or user, including demographics and interests.
Ideal customers are primarily owners and operators of convenience stores in Scotland and the broader UK, typically small business entrepreneurs aged 25 to 60 who manage local shops serving communities with everyday essentials. These users are often independent retailers facing challenges from national brands, interested in digital tools that enhance efficiency and competitiveness. Demographics include urban and suburban locations in Glasgow and beyond, with a focus on those in the retail sector who value cost-saving technologies and sustainability. Wholesalers and manufacturers form another segment, consisting of mid-sized suppliers interested in data-driven insights to improve sales strategies. Interests revolve around streamlining operations, reducing waste, accessing promotions easily, and adopting eco-friendly practices. Early adopters are tech-savvy store owners open to digital platforms, while buyer personas include “Busy Bob,” a 40-year-old Glasgow shop owner seeking quick stock solutions, and “Eco Emma,” a wholesaler focused on sustainable marketing.
Current marketing efforts and brand identity.
Marketing efforts leverage online channels like the website, social media, and the mobile app to reach target users. The brand identity is modern and eco-friendly, embodied in the slogan “Shop Smart” and visuals emphasizing simplicity and sustainability. Efforts include content marketing through newsletters and social posts highlighting platform features, as well as partnerships for cross-promotion. Public relations focus on positioning Costrick as an innovator in retail digitization.
Key messages the website should convey. The website should convey messages like “No more leaflets, no more multiple tabs,” underscoring ease of use, time savings, real-time insights, and eco-friendliness. It should emphasize empowerment for local stores, seamless wholesaler connections, and contributions to sustainability and community growth.
Contact Information
- Email: contact@costrick.com
- Website: www.costrick.com
- Phone: 01419591098
- Address: 6 Ristol Road, Glasgow, G13 1UY, Scotland