Traditional Markets

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D&G Markets header_150x150_p1

Eight stallholders engaged in Dumfries Farmers’ Market will shortly be participating in a Let’s Talk Shop support programme aimed at identifying specific opportunities to further develop their individual business opportunities.

Let’s Talk Shop has been commissioned by the Dumfries & Galloway Food & Drink Initiative.  It is intended that the recommendations made will be used to inform other stallholders involved with the initiative how they too can improve their individual business opportunities.

The next Farmers’ Markets in Dumfries are on Sunday April 6th and Sunday 4th May. Further details about Dumfries & Galloway Farmers’ & Community Markets can be accessed via their website.

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HawksVisiting the Farm Shop and Deli Show on Tuesday March 25th provided an excellent opportunity for our Shop Doctor to meet with many of the excellent local food and craft producers exhibiting at the NEC.

The show was running alongside The National Convenience Show, Food & Drink Expo and Foodex.

In addition to the diverse range of food producers, exhibitors included a range of suppliers supporting the retail sector.  The interest of The Shop Doctor was particularly drawn to the following:

EcoBags – custom made Jute, Non-Woven, Cotton and Cooler Bags – www.ecobags.co.uk
The Menu Shop – much more than just menus – www.menushop.co.uk
Gadsby – wicker and wooden products – www.gadsby.co.uk
Artyfarty Designs – fun but practical accessories – www.artyfartydesigns.co.uk
Linkshelving ltd – rustic display equipment – www.linkshelving.com
Baro Lighting U.K Ltd – interesting and very effective range of retail lighting – www.baro.co.uk
Reward-IT Ltd – loyalty and gift card systems – www.loyaltycardsystems.co.uk
Kingscroft – creative, practical packaging – www.kingscroftlogistics

Certainly worth taking a look at their websites.

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IMG_6825The ‘Let’s Talk Shop’ Support Programme moves to Langholm, Dumfries & Galloway, from Monday 11th November.

Independent retailers in the town will be attending an evening retail workshop at the Town Hall on Monday from 5.30pm when The Shop Doctor will share his thoughts about how shops can ensure that first impressions deliver, rather than deter, customers and once they are across the threshold how retailers can maximise the selling opportunity through effective layout, merchandising and good service.

As part of the evening The Shop Doctor will also review his first impressions of Langholm and identify with the delegates attending  opportunities to help improve retail vitality in the town.

Independent retailers interested in attending should contact grant.coltart@dumgal.gov.uk

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This year has not been the best  for footfall and revenue generation at many attractions.  The negative impact of the Olympics on incoming tourism , unforgiving weather conditions and the ongoing gloom over the economic climate all contributing to a severe downturn in attendance figures across the sector.

Taking time out to look at your attraction from an impartial viewpoint, particularly that of the customer,  is never easy and certainly one of the major challenges facing retailers in their fight for survival on our high streets.

Applying his extensive business development skills, understanding of how customers perceive and use space and wide marketing expertise our ‘Shop Doctor’ can bring a refreshing insight into identifying issues impacting on business performance at visitor attractions.

Looking at an attraction through  a fresh pair of eyes can provide an insight into the business that may not have previously been considered. Link this to recommendations as to how to improve the way the attraction interfaces with the customer, ideas to improve catering or retail efficieny and suggestions regarding routes to effective diversification the outome could prove very stimulating. 

If you are considering how to revitalise your attraction in time for 2013 now might be a good time to talk to Let’s Talk Shop.  Our skills are not just orientated towards retail development alone, they are transferable into any business where direct customer interface and delivery of high levels of customer service are critical to maintaining existing levels and, ideally, attracting increased and profitable attendance in the future.

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The Shop Doctor will be spending  4 days in Stranraer between the 25th and 28th September in the latest Let’s Talk Shop  support programme funded by Dumfries & Galloway Council.

The visit follows recent work undertaken in Annan and Dumfries and includes anevening Masterclass Workshop on the Tuesday 25th helping retailers understand the importance of providing a strong first impression to customers and how application of some straightforward common sense can make a real differences to shop performance.

During the programme the Shop Doctor will also be visiting individual retailers assessing their businesses potential and presenting recommendations for change that need cost no more than a little time.

The Shop Doctor commented “in the present economic climate it is not always possible for retailers to invest in new shop fittings, lighting or even redecoration. My challenge is to identify cost effective routes to improve retail performance, working with what the retailer has already got by making it work even harder” he added “where investment is an option I can help ensure that the investment is one that can really help build performance and onward profitability”

For further details of the retail masterclass or to discuss the possibility of arranging a ‘one to one’ visit contact:

Wendi Cuffe, Economic Development Officer, Dumfries & Galloway Council
Phone: 0303 333 3000
Email: wendi.cuffe@dumgal.gov.uk

 

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A further 15 towns have been identified today to receive funding to help implement some of the Mary Portas recommendations to government, bringing the total of supported towns to 27.

The full list of the  towns announced today are:

Ashford, whose Town Team will use its local market to attract people back to the high street by offering new stall-holders the opportunity to have a ‘stall for a tenner’;

Berwick, who will work with local builders and other businesses to give their high street a much-needed facelift;

Braintree, who will provide mentoring support to the high number of independent shops in the area;

Brighton (London Road), who will encourage retailers to work together to tackle vandalism and crime to help realise the area’s full potential;

Hatfield, who will look beyond retail to provide community and event facilities to encourage more visitors to the high street;

Leamington (Old Town), who plan to focus their efforts on tackling the high vacancy rate in the high street and encourage new businesses to the area;

Liverpool (Lodge Lane), who will help aspiring young entrepreneurs in the community by offering a mentoring service;

Waterloo – Lower Marsh and the Cut (London Borough of Lambeth), who plan to set up satellite markets and tackle the high number of empty shops in the area;

Forest Hill, Kirkdale and Sydenham (London Borough of Lewisham), who plan to renovate 12 empty premises and improve signage in the local area;

Chrisp Street, Watney Market, Roman Road (London Borough of Tower Hamlets), who will use exploit their high visitor numbers to run a series of public information programmes;

Loughborough, who plan to involve students from Loughborough University to reinvigorate their high street and encourage budding business owners to consider setting up locally;

Lowestoft, who will create a Town ‘group’ discount scheme to attract local people, and establish a mentoring scheme in conjunction with schools, colleges and retailers;

Morecambe, who will set up a community café to provide advice and support for those looking to take up business opportunities;

Rotherham, who will launch a publicity campaign to highlight the unique nature of the high street and encourage people to ‘shop local’; and

Tiverton, who plan to improve parking facilities to encourage more visitors and tourists to the town centre.

The government has said it will share £5.5m between the 27 successful bidders and 392 other town teams. The 15 pilots will receive a share of £1.5m to make their ideas a reality. This includes £300,000 from the Greater London Authority for the London pilots.

Towns not selected to be pilots are to be supported a new online encyclopaedia – 100 Ways to Help the High Street and run by the ATCM.

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BT came good with their ISDN line, Dalecom worked wonders with re-installation of our telephone system and  Ultimate Link, 01539 987654 helped resolve our broadband and networking connectivity issues.

Communications now fully restored and we are feeling far more organised in our new offices.

We are contactable again on our main number 015394 40020

Our fax number is 015394 46140

Our email contact is bill@sldt.co.uk

…..and, as you are here already, you have the website address!

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The independent review into the future of our high streets undertaken by Mary Portas has now been published and the full report can be accessed via her official website

The following is a summary of the 28 recommendations made within the report:

1.Put in place a “Town Team”: a visionary, strategic and strong operational management team for high streets

2. Empower successful Business Improvement Districts to take on more responsibilities and powers and become “Super-BIDs”

3. Legislate to allow landlords to become high street investors by contributing to their Business Improvement District

4. Establish a new “National Market Day” where budding shopkeepers can try their hand at operating a low-cost retail business

5. Make it easier for people to become market traders by removing unnecessary regulations so that anyone can trade on the high street unless there is a valid reason why not

6. Government should consider whether business rates can better support small businesses and independent retailers

7. Local authorities should use their new discretionary powers to give business rate concessions to new local businesses

8. Make business rates work for business by reviewing the use of the RPI with a view to changing the calculation to CPI

9. Local areas should implement free controlled parking schemes that work for their town centres and we should have a new parking league table

10. Town Teams should focus on making high streets accessible, attractive and safe

11. Government should include high street deregulation as part of their ongoing work on freeing up red tape

12. Address the restrictive aspects of the ‘Use Class’ system to make it easier to change the uses of key properties on the high street

13. Put betting shops into a separate ‘Use Class’ of their own

14. Make explicit a presumption in favour of town centre development in the wording of the National Planning Policy Framework

15. Introduce Secretary of State “exceptional sign off ” for all new out-of-town developments and require all large new developments to have an “affordable shops” quota

16. Large retailers should support and mentor local businesses and independent retailers

17. Retailers should report on their support of local high streets in their annual report

18. Encourage a contract of care between landlords and their commercial tenants by promoting the leasing code and supporting the use of lease structures other than upward only rent reviews, especially for small businesses

19. Explore further disincentives to prevent landlords from leaving units vacant

20. Banks who own empty property on the high street should either administer these assets well or be required to sell them

21. Local authorities should make more proactive use of Compulsory Purchase Order powers to encourage the redevelopment of key high street retail space

22. Empower local authorities to step in when landlords are negligent with new “Empty Shop Management Orders”

23. Introduce a public register of high street landlords

24. Run a high profile campaign to get people involved in Neighbourhood Plans

25. Promote the inclusion of the High Street in Neighbourhood Plans

26. Developers should make a financial contribution to ensure that the local community has a strong voice in the planning system

27. Support imaginative community use of empty properties through Community Right to Buy, Meanwhile Use and a new “Community Right to Try”

28. Run a number of High Street Pilots to test proof of concept

The Governments response will be published early in 2012.