It’s not just your customers who need a refresh – 2020 has been an incredibly challenging year for convenience retailers, but one where many have experienced sales increases that they would never have imagined. January presents a good opportunity for retailers to look closely at the business and evaluate and plan what improvements can be made. If their hard work and commitment in 2020 has paid dividends in sales, now might be a good time to revisit and update your business plan (see our business plan template here) and decide how best to invest these back into the business to ensure that it is evolving and able to match their customers’ expectations and needs. It’s also a good opportunity to review your staff by organising staff appraisals, as this will give you a great opportunity to reward the hardest workers that helped you through the pandemic, as well as discuss what improvements and changes can be made in-store – remember your staff represent you and your business with your customers. Additionally, take the time to reassess the local area and competition – what more could you be doing? Perhaps carry out a customer survey (see our customer survey form here) to make sure you are providing what they want from your store, and get new ideas for development? What new initiatives could you bring into store to boost profits? Last but certainly not least, review your fixtures and ensure you are stocking the right products and presenting them the right way. Our latest advice reflects the significant changes in shopper behaviour that have taken place over the last year and its important your range reflects these changes too.
For more inspiration, why not check out Get your Store in Shape and How to stand out from the crowd
