Skillsmart Retail

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Skillsmart Retail

Working locally, nationally Presentation to
Cornwall Retail Skills Task and finish group Ian
Wheeler Research Manager
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Why is location important politics

• Ghost Towns and Clone Towns
• All-Party Parliamentary Group for Small Shops
• 3 competition commission inquiries in 7 years

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Why is location important retailers

• More likely to view their market as having a
  local basis (47) in comparison to other private
  sector businesses (37)
• Smaller retailers are even more likely to serve a
  local market (57)
• Improving reputation in the local community is a
  priority for 44 of retailers.

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Why are skills important retailers

• A third of all small retailers indicate that they
  have been constrained from developing products
  and services because of a lack of skills
  (compared to 13 from those employing over 50
  people)
• Leitch review estimated that skills account for
  around 1/5 of performance in companies

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Location model Benefits

• Multiple retailers
• Improvement in attractiveness of destination
• Access to improved training and development
• Corporate and social responsibility

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Location model Benefits

• Independent retailers
• Improved sales
• Enhanced attractiveness of destination
• Access to high quality industrial intelligence
• Increased co-operation with your neighbours

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Our approach to improving locations
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Understanding Customers

• Consumer Profiling
• Mystery Shopping
• Street surveys
• Town Centre Assessments
• Covered and Street Market Assessments

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Understanding retailers

• Consultations with retailers
• Master classes
• Postal surveys
• SWOT sessions
• Skillsmart retails Segmentation Study

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Understanding stakeholders

• National, regional and local government
• The local media

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Finding the common ground
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A broad number of outcomes

• Increased sales (up by 25)
• Improved retail environment
• Strategic and practical recommendations for town
  centre management and other stakeholders
• Increased take-up of business development
  activities

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Happy retailer

• "Independent retailers play a vital role in
  making Colchester a special place to shop. This
  initiative has helped many to look at how they
  can develop their businesses and delight their
  customers even more.
• Simon Taylor, Greyfriars books

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Happy Town Centre Manager

• Skillsmart Retail were able to provide us with a
  complete range of services, consumer profiling,
  high quality street surveys, and a town centre
  assessment. They were able to relate these to
  our retailers, contribute to the development of a
  training programme and inform us of our own
  progress in regenerating the town centre
• Tom Stanworth Forest Gate Town Centre Manager

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50 locations so far

• Aberdeen
• Abingdon
• Alton
• Bicester
• Bletchley
• Bournemouth
• Bradford
• Bridgend

• Buckinghan
• Camden
• Chatham
• Cheltenham
• Cheptstow
• Chesham
• Chipping Norton
• Cirencester
• And so on

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Funded by a range of organisations

• Funding from various bodies
• Learning and Skills Councils
• Regional Development Agencies
• Regeneration bodies
• Business link
• Jobcentre Plus
• National Authorities (Elwa)/Scottish enterprise

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Next Steps

• Contact me
• Ian.wheeler_at_skillsmartretail.com
• Tel. [phone]

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