◆ You can choose your colours and sizes. No risk of being given ‘what is left’.
◆ There is usually a discount for paying cash and carrying the goods away.
◆ Immediate delivery. By taking the goods away with you, they can be on sale the next day as opposed to ordering by post, which can take a number of weeks to come through.
◆ You can ask for advice. Once you have used a supplier a few times, it will become clear which members of staff know their products and can be trusted to give advice on what is selling.
Talk to other buyers at the wholesalers. Find out what sort of shop they have, what they sell, where else they buy. Equally, some of the wholesalers are also retailers. Find out what else they stock, what associated products there are and what would be appropriate for your shop.
Some of the larger cash and carry warehouses require you to register on your first visit and you may need to provide proof of your status as a shop owner. Your company cheque book or invoices from other suppliers should suffice.
Cash and carry wholesalers are normally open Monday to Friday and for a short time on Sundays. They are always closed on Saturdays. Most will be closed on Christmas Eve and will not open again until January.
It is a 100 mile drive to the Cash and Carry warehouses from where I live, which should take about two hours. I can leave home at 8 am, sit on the motorway and in the suburbs of London for hours on end or leave home at 6 am, arrive between 8 am and 8.30 am, and have a sit-down breakfast before my first port of call, which opens at 9.30 am. Whilst enjoying my first coffee of the day, I can use the time to go through the stock checks that I wrote the day before and note down exactly what I need to buy, or as quiet, creative thinking time.
Especially if you live in the provinces, going to visit the wholesalers in London can be a very long day. My A to Z is marked with places where I can park the car, get something to eat and use a toilet; examples being the big supermarkets and drive-in burger bars.
сряда, 30 декември 2009 г.
неделя, 27 декември 2009 г.
BUYING FROM A CASH AND CARRY WAREHOUSE
Before visiting a wholesaler, carry out a detailed stock-check. Particularly for items like clothes, you do not want to guess and come back with exactly the same things you already have on the rail. Do not forget that the prices you see there will be exclusive of VAT ( Value Added Tax, which in 2009 adds a further 15% to the price).
I used to buy carved wooden boxes inlaid with brass shapes from a cash and carry wholesaler. There were numerous shapes, sizes and designs but no catalogue. I found it difficult to remember exactly what I had in stock, which ones were selling best and those that were not good sellers. It was even difficult to write descriptions for them. The answer was to buy one of each, lay them out and take a photograph with a digital camera. A master photograph can then be used for stock-checking and taken with you when you go buying.
I used to buy carved wooden boxes inlaid with brass shapes from a cash and carry wholesaler. There were numerous shapes, sizes and designs but no catalogue. I found it difficult to remember exactly what I had in stock, which ones were selling best and those that were not good sellers. It was even difficult to write descriptions for them. The answer was to buy one of each, lay them out and take a photograph with a digital camera. A master photograph can then be used for stock-checking and taken with you when you go buying.
четвъртък, 10 декември 2009 г.
Stationery packages
Forget it. They are a waste of money and of little benefit to you, particularly when you are starting out and need to spend money firstly on stock and secondly on display. Unless you are a limited company you do not need headed paper. Simply set up a master on the computer and print it as part of each letter you send. If you are VAT registered, remember to include yourVAT number on all letterheads.
When going round trade shows, suppliers will ask for your business card but it is not necessary to go to the expense of having these printed – they are of no benefit to you. It is quick, easy and more cost-effective to write down your details or use sticky address labels.
When going round trade shows, suppliers will ask for your business card but it is not necessary to go to the expense of having these printed – they are of no benefit to you. It is quick, easy and more cost-effective to write down your details or use sticky address labels.
сряда, 9 декември 2009 г.
KEEPING COSTS DOWN
Keep your costs as low as possible when setting up to give your business every chance of success.You need to be ploughing your initial takings back into the business, expanding on your stock and introducing more expensive and unusual lines.
Cars and vans
Do not, particularly when you have just set up your business, blow your money on a new car – either bought or leased. Give your new business a car that is paid for rather than expecting the business to pay for one.
If you must buy a car, look for one with low mileage that is a quarter of the cost of a new car. With regular oil changes it should last you 80,000 miles and will do very well for your business. It is an absolute waste to ruin a brand new car, particularly if you are carrying stock around.
Beware of buying a van and putting your shop logo down the side, which will advertise to thieves what might be inside. Unless you need to deliver furniture or other such bulky items, there is no need to waste money in this way, whatever your accountant tells you.
Cars and vans
Do not, particularly when you have just set up your business, blow your money on a new car – either bought or leased. Give your new business a car that is paid for rather than expecting the business to pay for one.
If you must buy a car, look for one with low mileage that is a quarter of the cost of a new car. With regular oil changes it should last you 80,000 miles and will do very well for your business. It is an absolute waste to ruin a brand new car, particularly if you are carrying stock around.
Beware of buying a van and putting your shop logo down the side, which will advertise to thieves what might be inside. Unless you need to deliver furniture or other such bulky items, there is no need to waste money in this way, whatever your accountant tells you.
вторник, 8 декември 2009 г.
Leave plenty of space for access
Make sure there is room for customers to move freely around the shop. The gangway should be at least the width of a child’s buggy. Customers will be put off coming in if the shop looks too crowded.This is less obvious on weekdays when it is quiet but most important on Saturdays when people have come out deliberately to spend their money.
You will probably lay the shop out several times over the first few months before you find one that suits best and will then start selling something large that requires a complete change about – but that’s retailing.
You will probably lay the shop out several times over the first few months before you find one that suits best and will then start selling something large that requires a complete change about – but that’s retailing.
понеделник, 7 декември 2009 г.
Positioning the till
Think about security when positioning the till. Theory has it that the best location is just inside the entrance way to the left, so that customers must walk the whole way round the shop before making their purchase. In reality you will need to site the counter so that you can stand and view as much of the shop as possible. Having it right next to the door may also help to deter shoplifters but I like to have it a little further back into the shop.This is so that genuine customers do not feel intimidated when entering the shop by having to make instant contact with the shop staff.
Ideally you should be able to see every nook and cranny but in reality you cannot see through customers, so decide which areas are the priority
Ideally you should be able to see every nook and cranny but in reality you cannot see through customers, so decide which areas are the priority
неделя, 6 декември 2009 г.
LAYING OUT THE SHOP
The area just inside the door of your shop is known as theTransition Area or the Decompression Area. Thinking of a supermarket, this is where the baskets and trolleys are kept. It is where people adjust to coming inside, unbutton their coats, change their glasses and get ready to start shopping.
Customers tend not to see much in this area and so merchandise is kept to a minimum. For the supermarket, this area will be up to the first 15ft of the shop, for the smallest of independent retailers this will be the area of a large doormat at best.
Behind the Transition Area, the first third of the shop is the Prime Selling Zone. This is where people will see price tickets for the first time and where they will make their first impressions about your shop. Keep this area eye-catching, attractive and average priced – you do not want to deter people at this early stage.
Moving to the back of the shop, this is where the shop’s signature items, also called demand items, are kept. These are the goods that the shop is known for and that you encourage your customers to walk through the whole shop to find. Supermarkets keep bread at the back of the store;
Marks & Spencer have underwear in this area. These are the goods that people come in to buy on a regular basis. But the shops generate further sales by tempting their customers with all sorts of things that they had no intention of buying before they came into the store.
People generally turn right when they enter a shop and this is where seasonal items or particularly trendy items should be placed to generate maximum sales.
Impulse items, that people will buy on the spur of the moment, should be placed strategically around the shop to encourage purchases.
The larger the shop, the easier it is to define these areas and this theory is most easily demonstrated in a shop which is on more than one floor: the ground floor is the first prime selling zone, attracting the greatest number of customers; the first floor will be the second prime selling zone, attracting fewer customers; the second floor with be the third prime selling zone, attracting even fewer customers and so on as you go up the building.
Customers tend not to see much in this area and so merchandise is kept to a minimum. For the supermarket, this area will be up to the first 15ft of the shop, for the smallest of independent retailers this will be the area of a large doormat at best.
Behind the Transition Area, the first third of the shop is the Prime Selling Zone. This is where people will see price tickets for the first time and where they will make their first impressions about your shop. Keep this area eye-catching, attractive and average priced – you do not want to deter people at this early stage.
Moving to the back of the shop, this is where the shop’s signature items, also called demand items, are kept. These are the goods that the shop is known for and that you encourage your customers to walk through the whole shop to find. Supermarkets keep bread at the back of the store;
Marks & Spencer have underwear in this area. These are the goods that people come in to buy on a regular basis. But the shops generate further sales by tempting their customers with all sorts of things that they had no intention of buying before they came into the store.
People generally turn right when they enter a shop and this is where seasonal items or particularly trendy items should be placed to generate maximum sales.
Impulse items, that people will buy on the spur of the moment, should be placed strategically around the shop to encourage purchases.
The larger the shop, the easier it is to define these areas and this theory is most easily demonstrated in a shop which is on more than one floor: the ground floor is the first prime selling zone, attracting the greatest number of customers; the first floor will be the second prime selling zone, attracting fewer customers; the second floor with be the third prime selling zone, attracting even fewer customers and so on as you go up the building.
петък, 4 декември 2009 г.
FITTING OUT THE SHOP
Wall fittings and other shelving
SlatWall is a display system using sheets of MDF, with horizontal grooves cut across the front of them, which are attached to the walls. Shelves, clothes hanging rails, glass display cabinets and so on can be hung from them and the heights easily adjusted. They come in a variety of colours:
white; creams; wood effect; natural mdf, which can be painted. Painting with Dylon clothes dye gives a subtle effect and the wide choice of colours can be used to tie in with the shop’s image.
If you can afford to fit out with SlatWall straight away then do so. It is an expensive initial investment but gives flexibility for everything that you want to display in the shop.
Whether you use SlatWall or freestanding shelves, you will need a range of shop fittings.These can be picked up second hand from:
◆ other shops closing down;
◆ small ads in the local paper;
◆ second-hand and junk shops.
Ikea is great for new glass cabinets and shelving at affordable prices.
SlatWall is a display system using sheets of MDF, with horizontal grooves cut across the front of them, which are attached to the walls. Shelves, clothes hanging rails, glass display cabinets and so on can be hung from them and the heights easily adjusted. They come in a variety of colours:
white; creams; wood effect; natural mdf, which can be painted. Painting with Dylon clothes dye gives a subtle effect and the wide choice of colours can be used to tie in with the shop’s image.
If you can afford to fit out with SlatWall straight away then do so. It is an expensive initial investment but gives flexibility for everything that you want to display in the shop.
Whether you use SlatWall or freestanding shelves, you will need a range of shop fittings.These can be picked up second hand from:
◆ other shops closing down;
◆ small ads in the local paper;
◆ second-hand and junk shops.
Ikea is great for new glass cabinets and shelving at affordable prices.
четвъртък, 3 декември 2009 г.
CHOOSING A COLOUR SCHEME
For the shop front
As with the name, the colour scheme needs to make a statement about the shop and what it sells but also needs to make it stand out from the others around.
I used a yellow/orange/red flame effect for the paintwork of ‘Enchanted Sun’, which stood out well between a conservative black gloss (very fitting for a jewellery shop) and a dark green (appropriate for a shop called ‘The Woods’). ‘Cave’ was painted a deep purple, which is probably the colour most closely associated with ethnic and alternative fashion.
My latest premises came with an aluminium framed glass front and a sign which was well above head height. It was dull and did not stand out from those shops surrounding it.To rectify this I had the metal frame and surrounding bricks painted magenta pink and covered the highest and lowest areas of the glass with magenta pink vinyl. Big white polka dot circles run in stripes to complete the image. Sales were up 50% the week after the work was completed, all accompanied by comments such as, ‘How long have you been here? I didn’t know you were here’.We had been open for six months at that time.
Look at what is next door. If you are surrounded by bright and wacky colours and designs, then make your shop stand out by being more conservative – and vice versa.
For the inside
The colour scheme for the walls inside is a different matter. Whether you stock goods that are brightly coloured or very dark, you want to display them against a plain background and much as I hate to say it, magnolia paint is probably as good a choice as any.
As with the name, the colour scheme needs to make a statement about the shop and what it sells but also needs to make it stand out from the others around.
I used a yellow/orange/red flame effect for the paintwork of ‘Enchanted Sun’, which stood out well between a conservative black gloss (very fitting for a jewellery shop) and a dark green (appropriate for a shop called ‘The Woods’). ‘Cave’ was painted a deep purple, which is probably the colour most closely associated with ethnic and alternative fashion.
My latest premises came with an aluminium framed glass front and a sign which was well above head height. It was dull and did not stand out from those shops surrounding it.To rectify this I had the metal frame and surrounding bricks painted magenta pink and covered the highest and lowest areas of the glass with magenta pink vinyl. Big white polka dot circles run in stripes to complete the image. Sales were up 50% the week after the work was completed, all accompanied by comments such as, ‘How long have you been here? I didn’t know you were here’.We had been open for six months at that time.
Look at what is next door. If you are surrounded by bright and wacky colours and designs, then make your shop stand out by being more conservative – and vice versa.
For the inside
The colour scheme for the walls inside is a different matter. Whether you stock goods that are brightly coloured or very dark, you want to display them against a plain background and much as I hate to say it, magnolia paint is probably as good a choice as any.
сряда, 2 декември 2009 г.
THE BUSINESS SIGN
The signs you have outside your shop need to attract passers-by to come in.They need to be:
◆ Clear and easy to read.
◆ Eye-catching. Remember that this effect will gradually wear off and for people who see the sign regularly, it will eventually fade into the background so it is necessary to change signs at suitable intervals.
◆ Compliant with your landlord’s requirements, local council bylaws and both fire and health and safety regulations. It would be a shame to design and make a fantastic display only to be told to remove it.
Maintain your signs so that they do not become shabby looking or dangerous. They are your ‘calling cards’ on the world and first impressions count.
◆ Clear and easy to read.
◆ Eye-catching. Remember that this effect will gradually wear off and for people who see the sign regularly, it will eventually fade into the background so it is necessary to change signs at suitable intervals.
◆ Compliant with your landlord’s requirements, local council bylaws and both fire and health and safety regulations. It would be a shame to design and make a fantastic display only to be told to remove it.
Maintain your signs so that they do not become shabby looking or dangerous. They are your ‘calling cards’ on the world and first impressions count.
вторник, 1 декември 2009 г.
CHOOSING A NAME
This is the identity of your business. It needs to:
◆ stand out from your competitors;
◆ reflect the personality of the business;
◆ be memorable.
Think of any connotations, both positive and negative, and also of the type of graphics that can be used with the name to get your business noticed. ‘Co-operative Funeral Directors’ is tasteful and describes the business. ‘Bodies Are Us’ certainly describes the business but can only be described as offensive.
‘Clippers’ or ‘Snips’ are safe names for hairdressers. They would suit a barber where older men are the main clients. ‘Expressions’ or ‘Images’ would appeal more to women and younger men who want something more than a short back and sides. ‘Greys’ and ‘Curl Up & Dye’ are names I have actually seen for hairdressers but somehow they just put me off! ‘Expressions Bridalwear’ implies new, exciting and individual. ‘Basket of Threads’ paints a good picture for a needlework shop.
The name needs to reflect the personality of the business. ‘Enchanted Sun’ was the name of my first shop (a New Age gift shop). It encompassed the mythical aspects of the shop and was very in keeping with the dominant themes of the day. The name was a hit.When I first opened, I kept a dish of little sticky address labels on the counter so that customers could take my details away with them (these can be stuck straight into an address book or diary and kept, unlike a business card which is easily lost). The local school children kept coming in and taking them.This was very puzzling until I found out that the coolest thing was to have my shop details on your pencil case! For ‘Cave’, my second shop (an ethnic and alternative clothes and accessories shop), I drew on images of Stone Age men and prehistoric animals for the graphics.
◆ stand out from your competitors;
◆ reflect the personality of the business;
◆ be memorable.
Think of any connotations, both positive and negative, and also of the type of graphics that can be used with the name to get your business noticed. ‘Co-operative Funeral Directors’ is tasteful and describes the business. ‘Bodies Are Us’ certainly describes the business but can only be described as offensive.
‘Clippers’ or ‘Snips’ are safe names for hairdressers. They would suit a barber where older men are the main clients. ‘Expressions’ or ‘Images’ would appeal more to women and younger men who want something more than a short back and sides. ‘Greys’ and ‘Curl Up & Dye’ are names I have actually seen for hairdressers but somehow they just put me off! ‘Expressions Bridalwear’ implies new, exciting and individual. ‘Basket of Threads’ paints a good picture for a needlework shop.
The name needs to reflect the personality of the business. ‘Enchanted Sun’ was the name of my first shop (a New Age gift shop). It encompassed the mythical aspects of the shop and was very in keeping with the dominant themes of the day. The name was a hit.When I first opened, I kept a dish of little sticky address labels on the counter so that customers could take my details away with them (these can be stuck straight into an address book or diary and kept, unlike a business card which is easily lost). The local school children kept coming in and taking them.This was very puzzling until I found out that the coolest thing was to have my shop details on your pencil case! For ‘Cave’, my second shop (an ethnic and alternative clothes and accessories shop), I drew on images of Stone Age men and prehistoric animals for the graphics.