nickshanagher

'We don't have it in stock but I can order it for you!' The words that are the death knell for small bookshops, according to Harry Mount, writing in the FT. He points out that thanks to Amazon he can order it himself and the book will be delivered straight to his door. Mr Mount's article is entitled: Shed no tears for the death of the old bookshop. He is confident that book shops may survive but only if they get the emotional pitch correct. They need to provide a quiet yet communal atmosphere in which shoppers can sift through ideas. It all sounds a bit fancy but the magazine retailer has something to learn. What Mr Mount describes is the commoditisation of buying books. In my local bookshop, when I ask for a book that they don't have, they suggest that they can order it for me. That means I must remember to come back. It also means if their wholesaler is out-of-stock then there will be more delays. I have never said yes. But what might make me say yes? This w...

I was sent this photograph of a display at Caltex, an Australian c-store chain, by him!, the UK shopping insights company. What him! wanted to draw to people's attention was the idea of including a healthier option in food-to-go. What I think UK retailers will like is the way the meal occasion is presented - grouping products together to meet a shoppers need state. I know many retailers think they have this cracked but once you see it done really well - and many UK shopkeepers are doing it better than as shown here - you realise most people are just playing lip service to the concept. More importantly, the same applies to presenting food for later - quick meal solutions next to drinks and desserts.

The Sun's execellent City page, otherwise known as the "page you can trust", unveiled the High Noon headline this week after some stinking results posted by the Co-op. It quoted Peter Marks, its chief executive, as having said that people were cutting back on food for the first time in his working life. "Co-op profits dive triggers panic," suggested the Sun. But so too did the resignation of Steve Jobs, Heineken's announcement of sales falls in the first half of its current financial year, and any number of other corporate events. In a sense the Co-op's pain should be welcome as it confirms the story that the Kantar Worldpanel sales estimates have been telling us every month - the Co-op is losing market share. Local shopkeepers collectively are doing better than the Co-op, which means its 3.6 per cent like-for-like fall in sales (at a time when grocery inflation is nearly 5 per cent) should be your bottom end benchmark. Our village is served by a Co-...

There is a well known rule of retailing that the longer you get people to spend in your shop the more they will buy. One of the reasons that supermarkets put fruit and vegetables up front is because it slows people down, ensuring that they reach the more profitable central aisles packed with processed foods in a better state of mind to browse and buy more. Tesco's announcement that it was testing free wi-fi in store was being trumpted by its marketing machine as a way to help shoppers price compare using the phones. However, it might also help fill their shops with students and school children who cannot afford to surf the internet on their pay-as-you-go mobile phones. As many local retailers know, there is a fine line to keeping shoppers in store longer so that they spend more and in having people killing time blocking your floor space. Magazine browsers in particular get a bad press. However, it is still an area to watch. If it works, you may have to respond in kind.

Analysis of Fresh and Easy - Tesco's loss making foray into the US grocery market - is a great place for local shopkeepers to go in terms of understanding what Tesco believes makes local shops tick. Interviewed this summer, Tim Mason, chief executive of Fresh and Easy, told the FT that shoppers were telling him that you're certainly easy but you don't seem to be that fresh. His response is to rejig how the stock is displayed. Flowers are moving to the entrance. The freed space will be filled with in-store bakery products. Fresh coffee to take away will be added. In areas of strength, such as fruit and vegetables, more needs to be made of the products in store. Health and beauty will get less space and own-label food more. What to learn? First, that despite all its know-how and the research it put into the launch of Fresh & Easy, Tesco made lots of mistakes. In an attempt to keep costs down, it failed to sell its Fresh message. As many independent retailers know, g...

Earlier this month, the FT profiled Moni Varma, founder of Veetee Rice, for its entrepreneur column. As an immigrant from Malawi, Mr Varma's journey to success in the UK will have obvious resonance for many south Asian shop owners. Mr Varma has built a public profile on the back of a successful track record as a supplier to the multiple supermarkets and more recently through developing his own brand Dine In range. Late last year he joined the chairman of Asda in signing a letter to the Daily Telegraph supporting the government's "cuts" to public spending ("cuts" is in inverted commas because total spending is still going up, just more slowly than previously planned). Interviewed by Jon Snow of Channel Four, he said his optimism in creating new jobs and investing in the Dine In range was fuelled by the downturn because people were going to be eating in more frequently. Mr Snow challenged Mr Varma's view that the private sector could kick start the e...

In a business diary column in the FT, Laura Tenison, head of the 40 outlet strong JoJo Mamn Bébé children's and maternity clothing company, offers two thoughts that will be resonant for local store owners. First, on the subject of competing with the supermarkets (niche businesses have to, too!). "Sometimes I get emails asking why we don't put Disney characters on our sleepsuits. Yes, they might sell. But what would be the difference between us and the supermarket? If you are a niche business...you have to think long term." Second, on the subject of bank finance. "In July 2008, the world changed. We had planned to open eight stores that year, but managed only two because the banks refused to extend our working capital facility, even though our gearing was extremely low for a growing retailer." A great many company owners understand this second point. Banks are only really happy to lend you money when you don't need to borrow. The moment you need to ...