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New Retail Seminar Date Announced

Posted on Monday, July 19th, 2010

University Hospitality Seminars has asked Anne Clewley to deliver a seminar to help university and college retail teams deliver more.

The UhS team looked at Anne’s ‘ brand-id seminar modules’ and suggested those they would like to see in a one day course.

The seminar “Display to Sell: A Practical Guide to Maximizing your Retail Business” will take place on Tuesday 14 December 2010 at Holywell Park, at Loughborough University.

This one day seminar is for managers and supervisors responsible for various types of university and college retail including branded merchandise, convenience stores and books. Focussing on how the customer responds to store layout and display, it concentrates on the use of front of house footage. The seminar will also touch on maximising on-line sales.

“Differentiate your business, focusing on the needs of the customer and you will increase sales, maintain a loyal customer base and build your retail business an excellent reputation. You will also have a fantastic team delivering the most exceptional service in an exciting and aspirational environment.”

Anne Clewley, Consult Retail

Particularly driven to improve all aspects of the front of house operation, Anne is passionate about maximising performance and plain obsessive about customer service. The content of the seminar will include:

● True customer focus
Knowing your customer intimately
Delivering a customer focussed operation

● Delivering environments to WOW
Maximizing store layout
Visual merchandising
Maintaining standards

● Successful non-store retail
Top tips on how to maximise retail sold on-line or home shopping

Sign up for the course through the University hospitality Seminar website:

http://www.universityhospitality.co.uk/

For more information on training modules delivered by Anne see the brand-id website:

http://www.brand-id.org.uk/brand-id-modules

Posted in Training News, University Retail News | No Comments »


Open Days: For a bright future – delight your visitors to sell your brand.

Posted on Sunday, June 27th, 2010

The sun is shining and the Open Say summer season is well and truly upon us.

Commercial arms at universities, colleges and student unions up and down the country have been weighing up the opportunities to sell versus the need to deliver for the customer and the overall organisation’s brand image. Not forgetting the need to find the fine balance between service and profit.

Alongside the schools, colleges and departments the university caterers, retailers and accommodation teams attempt to find accurate business forecasts based on academic department estimates. These estimates, often propagated by the marketing department, can be far removed from the reality on the day.

As with any other retail outlet or shopping centre once all the event promotion and marketing is done you are left in the hands of the customers themselves. On campus, your visitors are your customers.

Indicators such as weather can prove a fickle calculation. It is certainly a prominent feature in all retail reviews I’ve ever been to. One week hot weather can bring customers to the high street in droves, the following week the same weather keeps them at home in the garden…it is all a question of degrees…

One thing is for sure this is a day when everything about your organisation, about your brand must be seen at its very best. Whether your campus is in rain or wind your brand must shine out to these prospective new students, to stand head and shoulders above the rest.

Every touch point of the event, of the journey around campus, of the navigation of the day must be a fantastic experience leaving the visitors with warm feelings and an emotional connection with your organisation. When the crunch comes between 2 courses at 2 separate establishments, the experience of the Open Day itself can be all there is between registering for the course or not.

The work I do with any retail outlet can be applied to the entire Open Day event, or in fact any campus event you run. Put yourself in the shoes of the customer and look at their journey in detail, experience what they experience and ensure you and your team are delivering to truly delight the visitor.

This is run of the mill for many campus teams, but this could be the first or the last of many university visits for the potential students or it may be the only Open Day your visitors will experience. They must be served with all their needs, and served with a flourish!

If you always put the customer first and put them at the centre of every decision and you will ensure the forecast is very sunny indeed.

Posted in Retail on Campus | No Comments »


Top Tips for Maximising Graduation Branded Merchandise Sales

Posted on Friday, June 25th, 2010

As graduations are around the corner I thought I’d list a few top tips to maximise service and sales to your graduates and their families.

Some tips are a little late for this year but will provide food for thought for Christmas 2010 and Summer 2011.

1. Source, select and sell product yourself if possible. Margins of +50% are achievable compared to 10% of sales paid to you by a supplier.
2. Move away from the table! Display product professionally – exhibition stands display hanging and shelved product have great impact. Use display cases and lights to show off your product.
3. Locate a mobile shop / stand in a high flow area. Ensure you are in a position for every single graduating student to see you – en route to the robes is perfect as you’ll see your customers before and after the ceremony.
4. Ensure the display standards and visual merchandising of your shop or stand are exceptional – rise to the occasion!
5. Use mobile credit card machines – they improve service and sales.
6. Place an advert in the graduation pack that goes to students and parents. Let people know where they’ll find you and add great images of fantastic product.
7. Include a pre-order and pay service in the graduation pack advert. Promote a select number of high price, high margin product with the pick up point at your shop stand on the day.
8. Ask suppliers of your product, such as jewellery manufacturers and local artists, to join you – their passion for the product will ensure it is beautifully displayed and sales maximised.
9. Place adverts or flyers in any product that the graduates take home for example in the official DVD case, or included with the official photographs when they are sent out and in your shopping bags on the day. Let them know where they can buy after the event.
10. Display a discrete sign at the till with contact details for after sales service – this gives people an increased confidence to buy, especially higher priced product.
11. Be fonts of all knowledge! Ensure your sales team are well informed about everything to do with graduation; this is a great opportunity to provide exceptional customer service!
12. Record, review and report every detail of the graduation – sales, weather, customer feedback and product requests, times of first and last sales etc. The more you record the better informed you’ll be to further maximise sales next year.

Finally – have fun! This is a joyful day for all, a happy, playful team will make the customers (especially the families) day. Show genuine interest in each and every customer and what their family member has achieved – make them feel special!

Posted in Branded Merchandise | No Comments »


Graduation Sales – the core product lines!

Posted on Friday, June 25th, 2010

These will not be the most exciting of your branded merchandise range but ensure you have the items below in stock for graduation.

In the run up to the future graduation seasons I will provide fresh ideas for new products but for now here are the “must haves”!

1. University scarf
2. University tie
3. Photoframe
4. Cufflinks
5. Enamel pin badge
6. China branded mug
7. Quality key ring
8. University branded soft toy
9. Pen
10. Bookmark

Top tips for maximising graduation sales coming soon!

Good luck with your graduation sales this year.

Posted in Branded Merchandise | No Comments »


University of Exeter case study

Posted on Friday, June 11th, 2010

Sector Higher: Education

Client: University of Exeter

Client Brief:

Delivering a £50million development the “Forum” at the heart of campus the University wanted to consider the steps it would need to take to deliver a customer focussed retail offer. This offer should consider the entire campus and within the Forum itself. It would need to be in keeping with the University aspirations whilst also contribute to a cultural change at the heart of campus.

What was required:

  • Visit the University and meet with project owners and key personnel.
  • Put together an action plan to support the University to delivery its key objectives.

What I delivered:

  • Summary of current position with retail operators.
  • An action plan detailing:
    • Questions to be answered to deliver a relevant retail offer
    • Underlining objectives of each area to be addressed
    • Detailed steps for action to deliver the ideal retail offer for the entire campus and within the Forum development.

    What the client said:

    “Anne delivered a comprehensive summary of the action required to deliver our overall retail objectives.

    She worked well with the team here and as always, delivered an action plan of quality.

    Having worked closely with Anne at the University of Birmingham, she is my first choice to support us at Exeter. I am hoping we will be able to collaborate with her further as we develop our retail thinking.”

    Geoff Pringle – Director, Campus Services, University of Exeter

Posted in Case Studies | No Comments »


Higher Education case study

Posted on Friday, June 11th, 2010

Sector: Higher Education

Client: This project is ongoing. Due to internal situation, the client would prefer to remain anonymous at current time.

Client Brief:

  • Improve the sales of an underperforming convenience store to deliver budget.
  • Deliver clear processes and procedures for management team and staff to follow.

What was required

  • 2 days observation of operation to assess requirements
  • Complete recommendation report and agree implementation
  • Improve shop floor standards – layout, fill, merchandising
  • Improve stockroom standards

What I have delivered to date

Following 2 days observations and delivery of recommendation report, the following action has been taken by Consult Retail to improve overall layout, fill and merchandising.

  • Management Briefing
  • Sales floor layout changes, planning, leading and supporting team to deliver changes
  • Production of and management briefing on Standard Operating Procedures / Guidelines which include:
    • Proportionate displays
    • Drop Plans
    • Shop Floor Fill Standards
    • Department Maintenance
    • Date rotation
    • Afternoon shop fill preparation
    • Promotional Planning
    • Promotional Displays
    • Management walk rounds
    • Staff activity planner
  • Although early days there is a noticeable difference in the maintenance and presentation of the shop where the team are starting to adopt procedures.
  • Sales have slightly improved since sales floor changes have been made despite poor weather. Sales now 1.2% closer to last year’s performance and 2.5% closer to budget.
  • Significant changes made to some departments such as branded clothing. Clothing sales have increased year on year 3 months running following initial work done turning a cumulative deficit at the end of October of almost £6k into an increase year on year of £1k.

What the client said

“Anne has taken on this project with exceptional enthusiasm and commitment and as a result, the performance of the retail team and the increase in revenue generated is clearly being realised.

The training and introduction of retail standards was tailored to our needs and has raised the professional appearance of the shop floor and the motivation of the entire retail team.

We are currently in discussions with Anne for a package to deliver the next phase of our retail strategy.”

Anonymous, details on request

Posted in Case Studies | No Comments »


University Hospitality Services case study

Posted on Friday, June 11th, 2010

Sector: Higher Education

Client: University Hospitality Services

Client Brief
Due to the increasing importance of retail in Universities, deliver a one day seminar for senior university officers “Retail within the Higher Education Sector.”

What was required:

  • Design, write and deliver a one day seminar for university personnel
  • Suggested content to include market potential, models of retailing, and case studies.

What I delivered:

Designed course to cover following content:

  • Benefits of delivering effective retail within a university and the hazards of getting it wrong.
  • Assessing the current situation and reviewing retail reality
    • SWOT analysis
    • Ingredients for retail success
    • Retail Key Performance Indicators
  • Retail success criteria
    • A university perspective
  • A retailer’s perspective Identifying market potential
    • Know your customers
    • Assessing market size
  • Retail operations
    • Review retail operation models, own brand, franchise and tenant brand using a convenience store example to illustrate each model
    • evaluate the models
    • effect on key performance indicators
    • Review potential rent models e.g. tenancy or profit share
  • Delivered seminar, finishing on schedule.
  • Comments from participants:

“Fully comprehensive, study well explained”
“Extremely useful insight into retail for someone who knows very little, easy to understand and associate with the sector, excellent seminar”

What the client said:

“Anne was asked by University Hospitality Seminars to provide a one day seminar which would identify the benefits of an effective retail operation within a university and consider how to be successful.

Participants were business officers and their staff from a range of universities and she provided them with a comprehensive overview of the subject. Their feedback indicated that they found her presentation interesting and very helpful.

Anne is an excellent professional and we worked well and easily together to put the seminar together and on the day itself.”

Dr John Horobin, Company Secretary, University Hospitality Seminars Ltd

Posted in Case Studies | No Comments »


University of Birmingham Guild of Students case study

Posted on Friday, June 11th, 2010

Sector: Higher Education

Client: University of Birmingham Guild of Students, Edgbaston, Birmingham

Client Brief:

Deliver a new University merchandise shop unit from shell including brand identity and merchandise itself.

What was required

  • Deliver shop fit design and layout to a specified budget and time frame including:
    • Shop fit design and layout plan to maximise commercial use of footage.
    • Source shop fitter to manufacturer and shop fit.
    • Liaise with main University / Guild’s contractor
  • Work with Guild’s student sabbatical team and marketing team to produce a new shop name and branding, in keeping with the overall shop fit scheme and feel.
  • Deliver an appropriate product range for university merchandise, based on the Guild’s requirements.
  • Produce a promotional layout and colour plan for the year to maximise sales.
  • Support the merchandising / layout of the shop once shop fit complete.

What I delivered

  • Designed and project managed the delivery of a new, vibrant merchandise and clothing store.
  • New unit ready for opening 4 days prior to deadline.
  • Developed a new brand for the shop with sabbatical and marketing team.
  • Delivered shop fit to high spec within budget provided.
  • Procured new clothing merchandise range, with new designs.
  • Produced promotional plan which includes promotional offers to improve average basket spend, increase number of transactions and boost footfall.
  • Sales in first term double those of the previous year.

What the client said

“Zest was fitted to an extremely professional and high standard which has impressed our customers. We thoroughly enjoyed working with Anne, whom we felt was very professional and customer focussed. She worked well with us to fulfil our vision for Zest and took the time to understand our unique organisation and goals.
We are delighted that our new merchandise range has enjoyed an exceptional increase in sales.”

Fabian Neuer, President of the Guild of Students

Posted in Case Studies | No Comments »


University of Birmingham case study

Posted on Friday, June 11th, 2010

Sector: Higher Education

Client: University of Birmingham

Client Brief:

Delivery of a 5 year retail strategic plan to “Deliver a retail offer which establishes the University of Birmingham as a ‘Best of Breed’ in retail”

What was required:

  • Review of performance, service, quality and real profitability of all current retail operations.
  • Develop a retail strategic 5 year plan dovetailing into the Universities wider plan.
  • Develop some quick, easy and high profile wins.

What I delivered:

  • Improved retail offer in terms of brands on site, the environment, general standards and tenant contracts, to deliver additional £150,000 profit in first year.
  • Delivered improved key performance indicators. E.g. rent per square metre on new deals +65%, number of transactions +15% and average transaction value +22%.
  • With minimal outlay, delivered new retail platforms including additional shop units, professional and profitable graduation stand and on line e-shop for merchandise and University branded sports clothing.
  • Secured funding to complete the largest university customer research project focused on retail.
  • Influenced University Council to adopt the delivered 5 year Retail Strategic Plan in its entirety, including the approval of £18.5 million for a retail, catering and student services development scheme.
  • Designed and implemented an umbrella brand for retail to improve the awareness of the offer, deliver a dynamic retail “feel” and also provide the opportunity to develop the brand to sell to other universities.
  • Introduced the first ever farmer’s market to be held at a University, meeting many of the customers’ practical and ethical needs whilst generating additional income.
  • Introduced regular tenant meetings to improve partnerships.

What the client said:


“Anne’s innovative approach to problem solving and ability to turn ideas into profitable ventures led to a significantly enhanced retail offer and substantial increases in income to the University and to the Guild of Students.

Adopting her Retail Strategy in its entirety and approving the £18.5 million University Centre development scheme speaks volumes for her aptitude to deliver robust working solutions.

Anne was fun to work with and it was her energy, enthusiasm and professional dedication that helped her integrate into the University community.”

Geoff Pringle, former Director, Hospitality and Accommodation Services
University of Birmingham

Posted in Case Studies | No Comments »


University of Birmingham: Deliver a 5 year retail strategic plan

Posted on Friday, June 11th, 2010

University of Birmingham: Deliver a 5 year retail strategic plan

“Anne’s innovative approach to problem solving and ability to turn ideas into profitable ventures led to a significantly enhanced retail offer and substantial increases in income to the University and to the Guild of Students.

Adopting her Retail Strategy in its entirety and approving the £18.5 million University Centre development scheme speaks volumes for her aptitude to deliver robust working solutions.

Anne was fun to work with and it was her energy, enthusiasm and professional dedication that helped her integrate into the University community.”

Geoff Pringle, former Director, Hospitality and Accommodation Services
University of Birmingham

Posted in Testimonials | No Comments »


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