Store manager Simon Boothman claims this £10m, architect-designed store, with its mezzanine-level restaurant featuring local produce found on shelf, is an "experience". And it's fair to say he isn't wrong. From the moment you walk in, you are stopped in your tracks by the grand sweep of the staircase leading to the restaurant, the circular flower display in front of you, and the fruit and vegetables ranged theatrically behind it. The word breathtaking would be overdoing it but, as supermarkets go, it really is elegant.

The building has been designed around a seashell theme, with curves everywhere - from the entrance rotunda to the glass brick wall separating the checkouts from wines, beers and spirits. No tacky seaside cues, just subtle touches like a cobble wall to the rear of the restaurant echoing local buildings.

An art gallery alongside the restaurant upstairs displays rarely-seen works by local Victorian artist Richard Ansell. However, Boothman is keen for the store to be a "busy, noisy, bustling place", as opposed to a library with food instead of books. He says employing staff from the Blackpool area means the store "automatically gets that atmosphere because they are loud and bubbly".

Theatre is all about ambience, and the drama is most evident when looking down over the store from the restaurant - the visual and aural merging of a relaxed dining area and the fast, colourful world of grocery retail below is a real achievement, and lots of fun.

The concept behind the store follows on from Booths' first Artisan site, opened under its existing store in Kendal, Cumbria, in November 2006. The concept exists to provide a three-way win for the retailer, small local suppliers and customers, whereby companies perhaps only producing tiny quantities of goods to farmers markets, can get them onto the company's shelves, with the store favouring local produce where possible. Booths instigated a supportive, protective arrangement for suppliers under the scheme, to meet solid demand for local produce, which would also provide ingredients for its in-store restaurants as a point of difference. It gives Booths access to high-quality local produce, however the firm has extended the remit to the whole of the UK.

Boothman's career at Booths spans 25 years. He started as a weekend assistant and is justifiably proud of his store, which represents the pinnacle of what he and Booths have achieved in retail so far. The idea, he says, is that shoppers come through the door and "throw the shopping list away, and just enjoy the experience".

Boothman's enthusiastic claim that you won't see anyone with a shopping list proves to be true - people are exploring and discovering great products such as the fresh parmesan cheeses out on show, instead of "just going through the motions". Everything is bespoke in the store, according to Boothman, in terms of furniture and finishes. It's not just a showpiece - this is a full-range supermarket with 27,000 product lines. There are, however, clearly tailored elements such as the tasting area near the entrance.

The fruit and veg fixtures are attractive, but Booths hasn't gone as far as taking produce out of bags in order to compete with the likes of Whole Foods Market on theatre. There are sensible, logistical reasons such as controlling shelf life, and differentation by origin. However, the local produce ranges from "dug-today potatoes that are four hours old" and fresh fish, to 17 tomato varieties, and Bell's Staff of Life bread from Kendal - a bakery working under the Artisan umbrella.

Boothman says there is room for balance between local and national brands. "We have hundreds of marmalades - customers want choice of brands and local. We can offer a price for local produce and the brands," he says. However, when it comes to mainstream brands, he doesn't see the store competing with the major multiples: "It's going to be difficult for us compete on lines such as Walkers and Kellogg's. However we can offer really good local products at a really good price."

This may affect merchandising new products from larger brands, but it's not a big concern, as this Booths is trading at double its target two weeks after opening: "We're not large enough to be able to get sponsorship from Weetabix," he says, "but we can do some fantastic deals with a local bakery or a local fish supplier."

The biggest issue was recruiting the right staff, especially given the quality Boothman was aiming for. "My ethos is if we can get Booths customers working for us we're half way there." He says there has been a flood of people wanting to join since the store opened, once they had seen the environment that had been created. The Booths policy of getting staff to take ownership in order to feel an important part of the business is working, he says. "If you stop a member of staff you'll get a smile and they'll talk to you about how to cook the food they care about."

Booths is due to open its next big store in Hesketh Bank next year, and Boothman admits he dreams of opening another store. But first there are still minor teething issues to deal with here. "When it's running right I can walk away and be proud," he says.

Running this amazing store is a far cry from that Saturday job he took all those years ago, and Simon is enjoying every aspect of it. Looking down at the shop floor from the art gallery above, you believe him when he says: "The paintings don't really excite me, but to me that's a work of art." n

30 seconds...

Age: 47

Married: for 22 years to Helen, who is a teacher. It must be awful for people who both work in retail to have to go home and talk about work. I have a daughter who is 18 and goes to university. My son is 15 and is currently doing his GCSEs.

Hobbies: Family is everything to me. I also like walking, go skiing every year and enjoy entertaining.

Favourite food: You have to enjoy good food in this job, I love the fresh pastas we sell with our parmesan, and our Cumbrian Fell-bred steak. Even my kids eat well!

Booths Artisan - Haven Road, Lytham St. Annes

Age: 1 month

Floor area: 21,000 sq ft

No of staff: 135

Opening hours: 8 am til 8 pm Mon-Thurs (closes 10 pm Fri), 10-4 Sun.

USP: The nearest competitor is Tesco. There is a Sainsbury's in the area and two local Morrisons. We also have a smaller Booths in Lytham. We focus on selling good food. The company motto is to sell the best food with the best staff. We have nicer stores, great staff, and far better products. It's all fresh and locally produced, and we don't focus on non-food. We are good at what we do, and we are introducing people to new experiences. We're a proper food hall, not a supermarket.

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