Some ideas borrowed from Dido Harding, who heads up Sainsbury's Local, the c-store chain. Before talking to an FT journalist she ordered the windows of the store she was visiting to be polished because she wanted them to look perfect. Looking perfect should be the starting point for all shops. With 280 outlets, she needs to support two propositions: one for the neighbourhood shopper and one for the city centre food-to-go shopper. Local shopkeepers will be in the catchment area for one or the other. Check out her stores to see what the differences are. Within the neighbourhood proposition, Dido has three options for upmarket, mid-market and "more challenged" shopper needs. How does this work? Fresh and chilled food at the top? Chicken wings at the bottom? I don't know but it is simply a case of knowing your customers and getting your offer right. And always polish your windows...
True in part to my New Year resolution, I held a business meeting in an independent coffee shop today just next door to a Starbucks. The cafe was presented well and four staff were busy preparing for the lunchtime rush, at 11am. As my guests were late, I had a half hour overview of footfall on the street outside and in the restaurant. Six customers. Barely enough to form the queue in Starbucks or Pret-a-Manger just down the road. Plus one Italian girl who dropped off her CV. Some people stopped to look at the posters in the window and moved on. The owners seemed quite happy. When I left just after 1215, they were doing brisk trade. However, I have the impression that the business is not working hard enough. It could easily have managed 120 customers between 11 and 12, instead of 12. This is lost profit as the fixed overheads and staff costs are already in place. The owners are clearly busy - perhaps too busy to take time to look at the potential that their cafe has. What shou...
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