nickshanagher

There is an assumption that local shops run by local people have a competitive advantage over local shops run by multiples, such as Tesco. However, while independent operators may have some strengths, these may not be competitive advantages. On two recent shop visits I was struck by the stories that the retailers told about their shop's histories. In one case it was about how a former owner had developed the shop to serve the new train station. In the other, it was about how a former member of staff was remembered by naming the bakery area after her. In both cases these stories were not written down and recorded. I suggested to both owners that some customers would really appreciate knowing about the local history of their independent story. Think about it in the same way that you establish the provenance of a local product that you sell. People buy into the story. What is interesting is to see how Waitrose in Islington, a newcomer in a former Woolworths store, has filled its...

From January, Asda promises to open its first ever glass-walled store giving shoppers "access to areas not normally seen". It is putting cameras into its suppliers' production areas, including a dairy farm and a carrot processing plant. This clearly reflects Asda's view of what tomorrow's shopper wants to know about the provenance of things that it sells. For local retailers, the challenge is to be able to tell people about where their tinned tuna comes from, how local their eggs are, and what the traffic lights on a packet of sweets mean. When was the last time that you audited what you sell and tested your team on how much they know about the products you sell? If it was longer than six months ago, then you should plan for a review soon.