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If you earn your living in the retail industry the possibility that the business that you’re in will still exist in two, five and 10 years is very slim, says Doug Stephens, US retail expert in the first line of his new book The Retail Revival . “Sorry for the buzzkill,” he adds. “But it’s true.” Fizzing with ideas, this book is the start of a journey. Stephens tackles all of the issues that you’ve heard about, such as big data and showrooming and puts them into context. In a chapter entitled The Destination is You he discusses how mobile phones open up the possibility that big brands will find shoppers wherever they go. In the future as a customer is about to enter your shop, big brands could push promotions towards them and your competitors, like Tesco Express, could try and poach their business with a home delivery offer. Sam Walton’s reputation as a genius of retail comes under close scrutiny from Stephens. He argues that demographic changes lay behind the success ...

The end of the independent bookstore (and a new golden age for books) is an unmissable Seth Godin comment piece that has resonance for any local shop. His analysis of how multiple retailers can take the profit opportunity from independent retailers who develop a market applies to more markets than just books. Think Easter eggs. Think back to school. His market positioning for the independent book shop of the future is great. How can you use what he says to apply to your business and to your customers. While the convenience business model appears to be robust enough to withstand the advance of the internet, you cannot afford to stand still. Think about how you can "own" the hearts and minds of your customers. For more, see www.betterretailing.com .

Two current articles in Fortune make interesting reading for enterprising independent retailers. First is an interview with Pitt Hyde who sold his family's wholesale food distribution business in 1988 to invest in auto parts retailing. Hyde did not know the auto parts business but he knew there was an opportunity because customer service was poor and standards were low. His plan was to focus on customer service in good looking stores. He started out with four in 1988 and now has 5,000. "We worked on small margins and were very tight operators, so that discipline helped us through as we learned the business," he recalls. "Money is a small part of the equation for success. Sweat equity is what makes things work." Less visceral but just as interesting is an interview with Greg Wasson , CEO of Walgreen, the massive US drug store chain lauded by Jim Collins. The journalist is Geoff Colvin, who is consistently excellent. Here is what Wasson says: ...

There is a lot of talk about growth and the convenience channel and it was no different at the Local Shop Summit in Torquay earlier this month. With more than 200 retailers in the audience, John Kinney, retail director of Today’s, asked a simple question: Who was in growth? The answer on the electronic pads was 42%. As industry figures show that more people are shopping more frequently in local shops - and experts say more than £10 billion in extra sales will be in the convenience channel by 2018 - where is the growth? Principally in supermarket stores and in symbol groups, says Kinney. Why? Because the biggest area of convenience is top up shopping and this plays to the supermarket operators’ strengths. What he did not say is that much of that £10 billion is not new money but simply the transfer of sales from a Tesco out of town to a Tesco in a high street. What is encouraging for independents, particularly those in symbol groups, is that they are winning sales from thes...

There are two schools of thought about magazines and newspaper sales in the 21 st century and how they fit with a local convenience store. The one that is winning appears to be to stock a limited range of top sellers and get on with the day job. For a great many independent retailers, this makes good business sense. But in the rush to convenience, does this mean some retailers are missing a brilliant business opportunity? The answer is yes, according to Colin Mullins. Mr Mullins, who today heads the retail consultancy Fore, has a track record of building profitability for retailers through news sales. His current clients include Tesco, M&S, Asda, Spar and Nisa. He set up Fore in 2007 and sold to Menzies Distribution last year. One of the tasks he has been given is to breathe life into Superleague, the news sales club that Menzies set up in 1999 to get a piece of the “pay for display” action pioneered by WHSmith in its high street and travel outlets. The launch of Su...

 You get the impression from Bill Grimsey, the former boss of Wickes, Iceland and Focus DIY, that all it takes for success is some vision and some guts. He may be right. His book, Sold Out , aims to propose ways to save the high street and by extension independent retailing. What makes his book stand out, however, is not his pitch but the detail of his career in retail. For independent c-store operators there is much to think about. Grimsey provides a useful overview of how the supermarkets took over in the 1960s as more and more households bought fridges and the weekly shop became possible. The next step in giving supermarkets an edge was widespread car ownership. Grimsey describes the success of Tesco’s price cuts in 1977. He was personally involved in the next step forward, helping to deliver improvements in customer service in the late 1980s. On page 150 he provides a very useful four point summary of how to create a good impression with shoppers. Moving forward to...

The value of UK c-store businesses are near the bottom as a five year pattern of decline looks to have slowed, leading business agent Christie + Co said this week. In its 2013 business outlook, the company said that an 0.9 per cent fall in average sale prices in 2012 compares to the previous year bucked the trend compared to hotels, pubs and restaurants, where it also has a leading market position. Steve Rodell, the director who heads its retail team, suggested reasons for optimism even though the market remains polarised. Both the major supermarket companies and the co-ops are competing strongly for good c-store sites, particularly with petrol attached, and these businesses are getting good prices. Again the south east is strongest but Christie's teams make a good case to look at the profit potential in suburban Manchester, for example. The business outlook report tends to reflect current thinking about the market overall rather than lead thinking but this year Chr...

Local and proud it says on this internal sign in the Gosforth branch of Loco, a new concept store from Nisa, that I visited last week. I am yet to meet the owners of North East Convenience Stores but the brothers have set out their stall with this execution. When we arrived we were warmly welcomed by the staff, who were pleased that we had travelled from London to look around. It was a Tuesday afternoon and not especially busy. Even so, the shop was immaculately merchandised. The coffee assortment looks great. So too the chilled bottled lager...which demonstrates an attitude towards having a comprehensive range rather than profit optimisation. This seems to be in keeping with the whole shop which has a very high quality finish. Great flooring and lighting plus good signs...  And still there are some areas for improvement, with this deals end unit looking cluttered... And this offer doesn't pack a punch. But this is mere quibbling. Loco as executed in Gosforth...

Shoppers don’t enjoy shopping this category, says Doug Walker of Heineken at a press conference where he and his team are launching their Star retailer initiative. His job title is a mouthful: head of off-trade customer marketing. In the press release he is quoted as saying: “Star retailer isn’t anything ground breaking or new”. However, it is notable. Not only does it have a strong basis in research but it also demonstrates the credibility of good category management.   In the flesh Doug is on a mission to sell more beer and cider and you have the impression he could talk for a day about sales performance and future targets. Local retailers, he says, should pay attention to four key enablers: which are about creating a positive perception of beer and cider, selling higher value brands, selling responsibly and making shopping more fun. He is armed with an array of power point slides and a simple planogram for the category and a three year programme. Doug is also talking about ...