high street

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Let’s Talk Shop Retailer Support Programmes are to be delivered in up to 8 more Scottish towns over the next 12 months.

Recent contracts awarded by Dumfries & Galloway Council and East Lothian Council will see our Shop Doctor advising up to a further 98 independent retailers and building upon support programmes commenced in Scotland in 2013.

To date, Shop Doctor support has been delivered across 16 Scottish towns to 195 retailers. In addition to the valuable support provided directly to retailers, visiting the towns provides Let’s Talk Shop Ltd with a unique insight and understanding of issues that impact on the towns themselves.

Our Shop Doctor Bill Smith says “Being able to spend time in such a diverse range of towns, meeting with the independent businesses that help create their unique identity and with the customers that use them has helped develop a deep understanding of what helps create and sustain a vibrant town” he went on to comment “The onward challenge is to find a way of building on those opportunities to help enhance and build the economic vibrancy of the towns and the independent shops within them.”

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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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NS monumentThe latest phase of the Let’s Talk Shop Support Programme for independent retailers in Dumfries & Galloway will provide opportunity for up to 12 businesses in Newton Stewart to benefit from a visit from The Shop Doctor.

The programme will commence with a Retail Masterclass presentation on the evening of Monday April 14th followed by three days of one-to-one visits with retailers in the town.

Independent retailers seeking to participate in the scheme are asked to contact grant.coltart@dumgal.gov.uk

 

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IMG_7686Sanquhar and Kirkconnel have been the latest towns in Dumfries & Galloway to benefit from a visit from The Shop Doctor.

Following a Let’s Talk Shop workshop on the evening of Monday February 10th February ten independent businesses requested one-to-one advisory visits.

Three businesses in Kirkconnel and seven in Sanquhar were subsequently visited with The Shop Doctor spending time with the owners discussing the business and assessing the retail environment, and how it functioned.

Each of the participating businesses will be receiving a comprehensive recommendation reports detailing opportunities to help drive retail vitality, including routes to improving presentation, layout, merchandising, lighting and customer service.

Each business participating in the current Let’s Talk Shop support programme is eligible for a £500 grant from Dumfries & Galloway Council to assist towards implementation of the recommendations made.

Newton Stewart is scheduled to be the final town to be visited in the current programme with an evening workshop scheduled for delivery on Monday 14th April and one-to-one visits in the days following.

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Further information about the programme and opportunities for retailers in Newton Stewart can be obtained from grant.coltart@dumgal.gov.uk

 

 

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IMG_2348Following initial advisory visits made to independent retailers in April and June of 2013, The Shop Doctor will be revisiting Haddington, Dunbar and North Berwick in the week commencing 20th January 2014 to follow up with the businesses engaged in the Let’s Talk Shop programme funded by East Lothian Council and see what progress has been made.

Each of the participating retailers originally received a comprehensive Recommendations Report following the initial visit which identified opportunities for improvement in the way the businesses engage with their customers.

Recommendations included routes to enhance shop front presentation and impact, opportunities for maximising effectiveness of internal layout and improvements to merchandising.  The Shop Doctor also sought to identify other key opportunities to help sustain and develop each of the businesses.

As with all his recommendations, The Shop Doctor initially seeks to identify practical and deliverable solutions that can make a good business even better without extensive investment. “It is important to maximise the investment already made before spending even more” commented The Shop Doctor “often subtle change can deliver considerable benefits without major cost.”

 

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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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Copy of IMG_495720 independent retailers in Dalbeattie took advantage of the latest Shop Doctor Support Programme funded by Dumfries & Galloway Council.

One-to-one shop visits were conducted by The Shop Doctor during the two weeks following the well attended Retail Workshop held at Dalbeattie Town Hall on the evening of Monday 16th September.

Each shop visited will receive a comprehensive Shop Doctor Recommendations Report detailing individual opportunities believed capable of helping the particular  business concerned improve its retail vitality.

The Shop Doctor commented “the engagement with  retailers in Dalbeattie has been particularly refreshing. The retailers involved have been extremely open about their businesses and all demonstrated a keen desire to seriously consider implementation of the opportunities that will be identified in their individual reports.”

The next Town to benefit from the Shop Doctor Support will be Thornhill. The programme commences on Monday 7th October with a Retail Workshop for businesses in the town.

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IMG_5616 sign compIndependent retailers in Dalbeattie town centre are being encouraged to enrol in the Let’s Talk Shop programme, a free course of specialised Shop Doctor support.

Bill Smith, the Shop Doctor, will be delivering his informative and motivational retail master-class, Let’s Talk Shop, to retailers on the evening of Monday 16 September 2013, starting at 5.30pm, in Dalbeattie Town Hall.

There are high hopes for a big turn out from town centre businesses. Business owners attending will have an opportunity to share ideas on how to enhance the economic vitality of independent retailers in Dalbeattie.

In addition to the master-class, up to 10 independent retailers in the town will qualify to receive an in-store surgery from The Shop Doctor enabling them to directly benefit from his specialised advice.

Each of the 10 shops enrolled for the one-to-one visits will also receive a comprehensive report focused on helping to re-energise each of the individual participating businesses. They will also be eligible for a £500 grant towards implementing recommendations made by The Shop Doctor. A follow-up check-up will be arranged 12 months later.

Business Gateway is supporting this initiative and will have experienced advisers available to promote to the retailers the wealth of services and courses they have to offer.

Councillor Ian Carruthers, Chair of the Council’s Planning, Housing and Environment committee said: “I would encourage all independent retailers in Dalbeattie to get involved in this programme. In many cases retailers won’t have to spend a fortune to benefit from the Shop Doctor’s advice.”

To register for the Let’s Talk Shop workshop or to find out more, contact Grant Coltart, Dumfries and Galloway Council, t: 030 33 33 3000, or email grant.coltart@dumgal.gov.uk

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shopping experience cheshire towns 191Veteran retailer Bill Grimsey, the former boss of DIY chain Wickes and food retailer Iceland, has unveiled a 31 point plan identifying routes to rescue the  struggling high streets.

The recommendations offer an alternative plan to the Mary Portas Review and include a suggestion to raise a £550m local economic development fund by levying major retailers turning over £10m with a 0.25% retail tax.

Central to the plan is the need to accept that there is too much retail space already in the market and that town centres need to become community hubs with multiple different uses including healthcare, business, the arts and manufacturing.

To view the 31 recommendations click here (pdf document)

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June has seen yet more independent shops in Scotland receiving Shop Doctor support in ongoing support programmes funded  by East Lothian Council and Dumfries & Galloway Council.

A total of 21 ‘on-to-one’ shop visits  took place across North Berwick, Haddington, Dunbar, Gretna and Lockerbie in June with a further 6 shops in Lockerbie scheduled for a visit in early July. Every visit is supported by a comprehensive Shop Doctor report detailing practical opportunities considered available to improve business vitality within each of the businesses concerned.

Commenting on the visits our Shop Doctor advised that “There continues to be  a tremendous variety of retail choice available on our High Streets with independent retailers providing a critical role in maintaining the unique identity of the fabric of a town” and added  “retailers, local councils, landlords and the general public each have an important role to play in sustaining business vitality in our towns and all need to work towards a common goal”.