What is the most successful idea you’ve ever tried out in your business?
Taking out a gondola end and replacing it with a platform beer stack in 2006. Nothing else has ever given me such good sales. My upright chillers are also brilliant. Chilled sales went from £250 to nearly £700 per week.
What is the best advice you have received?
In 1997, the first Premier retailer in Sheffield, Ranjit Johal, invited me to his shop. He said, “Have a look and implement what you can”. The shop was all-singing and all-dancing and by using some of his ideas we’ve never looked back.
Who is your retail inspiration?
Ranjit Johal, because he showed me what was possible and opened a new door for me. We changed the way we did business after seeing his store.
What do you think is the biggest missed opportunity that independent retailers should cash in on?
There are three main things retailers get wrong. One is being out of stock. The second is not merchandising stock correctly when they do have it, and the third is not smiling or saying thank you.
What’s next for your business?
Next is expansion into another store. We are looking for the right one, in the right place, at the right price. In terms of customer service, we want to push online ordering. We tried it this year and it didn’t go as well as we had hoped, but we are going to link with Booker Premier to get a bigger delivery base.
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