Retail Matters 8th Edition

Retail MattersISSUE EIGHT AUGUST 20

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In this issue:New strategy aims to unlock retail growth potential

Digital retail trends in the Sheffield City Region

Digital developments at Drop Dead Clothing

Teddy Bear retailer bringing happiness to the region

Re-Making Rotherham High Street

Sheffield City Region - Retail Hub of the North...

RM_Issue8_July2014_Layout 1 21/07/2014 09:03

To book your Conference place contact Emily Wright today on [email protected] or 07889 810706.

Welcome…...to Retail Matters

Retail Matters Conference - 17th September 2014

This edition of Retail Matters focuses on digital retail, and highlights the extent to which theSheffield City Region is at the forefront of the digital retail revolution. By 2025, it is anticipatedthat £1 in every £5 will be spent online, and it is therefore incredibly exciting and encouraging tosee our retailers making innovative use of platforms such as social media to engage new andexisting customers both domestically and overseas.

The Sheffield City Region Retail Forum is inviting organisations across the Sheffield City Region to attend a freeretail conference and networking event entitled ‘Retail Matters: Improving business performance by investing instaff as ambassadors’.

The conference will be held on Wednesday17th September from 1.30pm until 4.00pm atThe Source Academy, 300 Meadowhall Way,Sheffield, S9 1EA. Speakers will include;

Steve Harrison Deli & Dine

Jane Rexworthy The National Skills Academy

Mark Bruce Meadowhall

Michelle Osborne Virgin HolidaysSally Grant

The last Retail Matters Conference attractedover 130 delegates, 91% of whom rated thequality of the event, speakers and networkingopportunities as good or excellent.

‘The Retail Matters Conferences

are informative and inspiring’

Kate Shepherd, owner of Cocoa Wonderland.

If you are interested in advertising in Retail Matters or submitting an editorial feature, please contact us for further information.

Contacts - Emily Wright - t: 07889 810706 e: [email protected]

Sheffield City RegionRetail Hub of the North...

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1 - 2 Festive Insights, Forward Planning for a Successful 2014. Experian, 2013

Digital retailing was also the subject of our recent Retail MattersConference, which took place in May at The Source Academy andwas attended by over 130 delegates from 100 organisations.

Speakers from organisations including Drop Dead Clothing,KNOWHOW and Powertext shared their invaluable

insight on how retailers could utilise the digitalworld to benefit their business by improving

customer service and implementinginnovative marketing campaigns

to generate additional sales.

Speakers at the conference also consistently reiterated that gooddigital retailing should be a complement, not a replacement, fortraditional bricks and mortar retailing. Recent research hasanticipated that bricks and mortar store-based retailing willcontinue to achieve reasonable growth of 27% between 2014 and2025, and proclamations of the death of the high street thereforeseem incredibly premature! For that reason, it is fantastic to seeour local authorities investing in innovative initiatives designed toreinvigorate our high streets, and I am delighted that we are ableto cover success stories emerging from The Makers Emporium inRotherham later in this magazine.

I very much hope that you enjoy reading the 8th edition of ourRetail Matters Magazine, and will look forward to seeing you atour next conference in September.

Ann Cadman OBE

Vice Chair of the Sheffield City Region Retail Forum and Directorof The Source Skills Academy.


New strategy aims to unlockretail growth potential


Since forming a strategic alliance in 2011, Bolsover District Council andNorth East Derbyshire District Council have undertaken several jointprojects, but none that provide such a game changing plan as our newgrowth strategy, which was approved on 16th June 2014.

From Councillor Eion Watts, Leader of Bolsover District Council, and Councillor Graham BaxterMBE, Leader of North East Derbyshire District Council

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Faced with further cuts in government grantfunding, we needed something that wouldprovide us with the income to become self-financing and in turn stimulate growth in thearea. The growth strategy does just that,providing us with a holistic approach toattracting growth to the area, and giving us thedetail needed for specific areas such as retaildevelopment.

Both our districts are rural in nature, so wedon’t have a natural town centre to act as amagnet for retail development. However,forecasts suggest that wholesale and retailtrade will be a key growth area in terms ofemployment, and this is an area where we feelwe have considerable expertise to tap into.Town centre regeneration is key! If we canstimulate the local economy and keepresidents spending in their local town orvillage, instead of travelling to neighbouringauthority areas, then we are onto a winner.

This strategy has been really successful in ClayCross and Clowne, where we have attracted alarge retailer and this has generated the desiredknock-on effect of increases in footfall in thetowns. This then attracts other retailers tocome and invest in the area. We know it’s not aone-size-fits-all scenario, but we have seenhow increases in footfall can attract smallershops and independent retailers to a town,who are attracted by the additional customersand visitors.

Town centre regeneration is not the onlyfocuses of the strategy, and we have identifiedseveral major employment sites fordevelopment. The Avenue in Wingerworth,Brook Park in Shirebrook, the former Coalitesite and Castlewood in South Normanton havealready attracted major retailers such as SportsDirect and the Cooperative, who haveestablished regional and national distributioncentres.

Yet none of this can be achieved unless webecome more business friendly, and act as the‘front door’ for businesses. Retailers need toknow where they can quickly and easily securecomprehensive support and information onthings like grant funding and availabledevelopment sites and skills in the area, ratherthan having to wade through mountains ofpaperwork and legislation, and we willtherefore be working hard to achieve this.

These are exciting times for us and we areconfident that over time, we will see vibrantbusiness communities that support andpromote growth in towns and villages acrossBolsover and North East Derbyshire.

To find out more about our growth strategy,call 01246 242424/231111.



Digital retail trends in theSheffield City RegionIn March 2014, Experian, the leading global information services company, released the results of new researchwhich revealed fundamental shifts in the way consumers are shopping. The research gathered data on theshopping habits of over 2,000 consumers from across the UK, and combined this with Experian’s onlinebehaviour intelligence, footfall data and consumer spending forecasts to reveal some fascinating insights on howthe online world is changing the face of retail in the Sheffield City Region and the UK. Here, Katrina Hann,Managing Consultant at Experian, discusses the key findings of the research.

Katrina says, “Our research painted a highlyencouraging picture for the future of retail inthe UK and the Sheffield City Region.Consumer confidence is growing - we plannedto spend more money in 2013 and actual salesfigures support this. It is clear that much of thisgrowth has been driven by increases in onlinesales.

We are now increasingly savvy at researchingonline to find the right product at the bestprice, using a multitude of channels includinglaptops, mobile phones and tablets, which 11%of respondents used as their main device forretail browsing. £1 in every £8 is now spentonline, with online sales volumes growing by anastonishing 14% between 2012 and 2013.

“Yet it is also incredibly clear that, in a world inwhich we can compare thousands of items atthe click of a button, customers still seeenormous value in the high street and are stillcoming out in large numbers to browse andcompare products in bricks and mortar stores.61% of consumers in Yorkshire and the Humbersay they like to touch and feel before they buy,especially for luxury goods. Howevercustomers do now look for an experiencewhen they shop, and ‘retail theatre’ is aconcept which is definitely growing - from freecoffees, drinks events and dinner parties in-store to wacky ideas from organisations such asCOCO-MAT, who allow customers to nap intheir beds and receive a free glass of orangejuice on waking!

“Yet whilst some customers will buy in-store,others will use this as an opportunity to testthe product and buy online at a later date.‘Showrooming’ is here to stay, but it need notbe a problem for the retailer! The challenge isto convert this browsing into a direct sale,whether this be in store at the point ofbrowsing, or online through competitivepricing, exclusivity and the quality of theproducts and service offered.

“All of our research suggests that retail stillmatters in the UK and the Sheffield CityRegion, yet it is also clear that retailers willhave to adapt their operations in order tocontinue to secure success. In this new digitalworld, the customer is king, particularly due tothe growth of instant feedback. Retailers nowreceive customer feedback courtesy of amultitude of omni-channel sources, andevidence suggests that those who have had anegative experience tend to be the most vocal.A recent complaint on twitter from adisgruntled British Airways customer went viraland surpassed 20,000 shares, demonstratingthe growing might of the consumer.

“We are certainly living in an ever-changingretail world, but this also provides a wealth ofopportunities for the retail sector. Byoptimising social media as part of a multi-faceted marketing strategy, paying carefulattention to visual merchandising at flagshipshowroom stores,enlivening the storeexperience, and above all reacting to feedbackto meet the needs of customers, Sheffield CityRegion retailers can thrive in this new retailclimate”

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Digital developments at Drop Dead Clothing

Anthony says, “It has been fantastic to takesuch an active role in shaping the Drop Deadstory since I started with the organisation twoyears ago. Oli started Drop Dead Clothing in hisSheffield bedroom, having found that hegreatly enjoyed graphic design during his firstyear of college, and it just shows that anyonecan use their imagination and the power of theinternet to create a multi-million poundworldwide brand.

“We have evolved considerably during the lastnine years, but our innovative use of socialmedia has always been at the heart of ourachievements, and has provided us with afantastic way of engaging our primarily youngtarget market. The mediums which we use mayhave changed - from MySpace to Facebook,Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram – but the way inwhich we work to create interesting andengaging content which is intrinsically linked toour brand is still the same. We now have nearly700,000 followers on Facebook, our averagepost is seen by 61,000 people, and 6% of ourrevenue is generated by customers visiting oursite from Facebook. It is impossible to over-estimate the potential of social media for themodern day retailer.

“We see enormous value in the high street, andnow have two physical stores in London andSheffield, which were established in 2009 and2013 respectively and have really helped tocomplement our online activities. For example,earlier this year we hosted an event at ourLondon store to launch a new Itchy & ScratchyShow Collection developed alongside Fox, whoabsolutely love the Drop Dead brand. We usedpictures from the event to create some reallyengaging social media posts and blog entries,which then helped drive traffic to our websiteand generate further sales. In addition, byencouraging Fox to share our social mediaactivity, we secured some fantastic exposurefor Drop Dead and managed to quickly andeasily reach a whole new audience.

“It is an incredibly exciting time for Drop DeadClothing on a global scale, and we willcertainly be looking into doing morecollaborations during the next 12 months. Yetwe will always be intrinsically linked to theSheffield City Region, as demonstrated by ourrecent promotions alongside Sheffield’sTramlines Festival and our tagline as the Steel City’s Finest. We are incredibly proud to be part of the Sheffield City Region’s rich digital retail tapestry, and to play our part in helping establish the region as the retail hub of the north.”

In 2005, Oli Sykes borrowed £500 from his mum to establish Drop Dead Clothing, with the aim of creatingunique clothing inspired by internet culture and an ever evolving taste in music and art. In 2013, Drop DeadClothing had over 3.7 million unique visitors to its website, with 30 members of staff shipping products to over100 countries worldwide. Here, Anthony Donbavand, Marketing Manager at Drop Dead Clothing, discusses thesecrets behind the organisation’s success.

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Teddy bear retailer bringinghappiness to the Region

They say, “It has been wonderful to take anactive role in the growth of The Bear Emporium.We established our own shop in Killamarsh,Sheffield, in 2009 and have amassed a collection

of bears which is unrivalled in the Sheffield CityRegion and includes highly collectable brandssuch as Steiff, Charlie Bears, Merrythought andIsabelles. We have also developed our ownrange of hand made ‘Steel City Bears’, calledDon, Lady Bower, Sheaf , Loxley and Full Monty.Each bear takes around 12 hours to make, and isadorned with our signature Sheffield Steelcutlery necklace around the neck. Our bearshave gained quite a reputation during the lastfew years and are now considered highlycollectable by teddy bear enthusiasts!

“We are incredibly proud of our in-store teddyhospital, where we repair and restore well lovedbears. Some of the rarest teddy bears are worththousands of pounds, and have hugesentimental value to their owners. One of ourrecent customers broke down in tears of joyafter we had used our sympathetic restorationtechniques to bring his teddy back to life, andwe discovered the bear had been his only friendwhen he sought shelter in his air raid bunker as aboy. Stories like this are incredibly heart-warming, and are a huge part of what drives mypassion for The Bear Emporium.

“We have lots of exciting plans in place for therest of 2014, and will be attending a number ofTeddy Bear Fairs to help spread the word of ourbusiness. In theory, there are no geographicalboundaries to where we could expand - werecently had a letter from a gentleman in Austriato thank us for repairing his teddy! Yet the truevalue of our business will always lie in our closeties to the Sheffield City Region. We have plansin place to develop two new bears called Porterand Little Mester, and will be sure to stay true toour Sheffield roots in everything we do, toensure our region’s loved Teddy Bears are in safehands!”

Teddy bear enthusiasts Lynn and Barry established The Bear Emporium in 2002 at Ridgeway Craft Centre, as arelatively small unit selling hand made teddy bears produced on site. The business has flourished during the last12 years, bringing happiness to teddy lovers across the world, and resulting in the development of a new range of‘Steel City Bears’ which are connected to the Sheffield City Region. Yet, as Lynn and Barry explain, their bears arefar more than just toys.

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Having opened on Tuesday 15 April 2014 to afantastic reception, the Emporium is nowoffering 30 local makers, crafters, artists anddesigners a fantastic opportunity to gain accessto flexible low-cost trading space, and buildexperience of trading whilst raising awarenessabout their products. Three months on, RetailMatters speaks to one of the Emporium’smakers, Terry Cooper, to find out howeverything has been going.

Terry says, “In 2012 I made an absolutely lifechanging decision to leave my job working inadministration for a debt recovery agency, andturn my hobby creating unique items ofjewellery and homewares from antique cutleryand wood into a full-time occupation. Iestablished my own business, Tea Wear, andstarted manufacturing from my garage, usingmy imagination and engineering skills tobreathe life and soul into items which hadfallen from use. I began by selling my uniqueproducts at craft fairs across the Sheffield CityRegion, and demand was so great that I quicklyoutgrew the confines of my garage, and movedinto a full-time production space in theNichols Building in Sheffield.”

“The Makers Emporium has been absolutelyincredible for my business. Despite my initialsuccess, I just don’t have the cash flow to fundmy own retail unit. The Emporium has providedme with a low cost means of introducing TeaWear to a far larger audience, and I can now listMary Portas amongst my customers, after shebought one of my products whilst attendingthe Emporium’s launch event. I have beenstaggered by the increase in demand for myproducts, and have had to spend a lot more

time scouring antique fairs for antique cutleryduring the last few months to satiate theincreased interest. As an antique lover, that hascertainly been no bad thing!

“I have to credit Rotherham MetropolitanBorough Council and The Source Academy ontheir vision for the Emporium. There arecurrently lots of towns and cities across the UKwhich look identical, and Rotherham isbeginning to hark back to a time in the 1960’sand 70’s when independent shops were thenorm, and the Emporium is contributing tothat. There is a real sense of communityamongst the makers at The Emporium, the vastmajority of whom have met previously on thecraft circuit during the last few years, and thisnetwork of mutual support has helped to sparklots of new ideas and innovations, not least fornew products which I can develop!

“Having been born in Sheffield, and worked inRotherham all of my life, I am incredibly fondof the Sheffield City Region, and of the retailheritage in both of these great places. I can’tbelieve how far my business has come duringthe last few months, and I am proud to be partof a dynamic and innovative initiative which isreshaping the high street as we know it, andhelping to establish the Sheffield City Regionas the Retail Hub of the North.”

There is something exciting happening in Rotherham. In the last edition of Retail Matters, Cllr Roger Stone OBE,Leader of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, spoke about how funding from the Portas Pilot initiative andHigh Street Renewal Fund was allowing the council to position Rotherham as ‘the independent alternative’, anddevelop initiatives such as The Makers Emporium.

Re-making Rotherham High Street

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Digital High Street Skills is a brand new, tailor-made suite of training programmes

The Digital High Street Skills suite of training programmes will help you:

Increase your online presence and become more competitive Develop your multichannel expertise Find and engage with new customers Increase your customer base Widen your geographical reach Access new markets

The Source is delivering Digital High Street training to businesses in the Retail, Hospitality, Leisure and

*For a limited period and subject to completion of all three Digital High Street modules, businesses satisfying the following eligibility criteria can access funding for this training:

Individuals must be employed within a small

250 employees

Individuals must be aged 19+

The Source are now offeringfully funded* web and social media training

Laura Vincent on 0114 2635650 or email

0114 263 5600 | [email protected] | www.thesourceacademy.co.uk

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“Customer service is at the heart of everythingwe do at Meadowhall Centre, and everymember of the team contributes to thecustomer experience, either directly orindirectly.

For the past 3 years, we have embarked on arigorous training programme wherebyeveryone in the business has been trained inthe WorldHost Principles of Customer Service.This allowed us to benchmark our service offerand unify the focus on service delivery.

However, we know we cannot rest on ourlaurels as far as driving service is concerned.We are keen to discover exactly what thecustomer experience is really like, and moreimportantly, be responsive to feedback whichsuggests dissatisfaction with our serviceproposition.

We have recently installed a digital platformwhere our customers can upload comments

and score us on our customer service andother areas of the business. In essence we areable to gauge the customer’s experience quiteliterally as it happens.

We believe that customer service is an area forcontinuous evaluation and improvement, andthe most effective way to evaluate a serviceproposition is by really listening to whatcustomers have to say about it.

Our aim is to provide a really great experiencefor all customers and visitors, as we know thisis critical to the ongoing success ofMeadowhall Centre.

Our customers have high expectations whenthey visit us at Meadowhall, and we strive tomeet these expectations in many waysincluding a great mix of brands, a wide range offacilities, an inviting dining quarter and high onthe list is great service.

Throughout the year we have over 25 millionvisitors to the centre, and we want them all toleave with a great impression of their visit anda desire to return to us, and if we haven’tachieved this, then we really do want to hearabout it. “

Every retailer will know the importance of customer service to their business. We spoke to Paula Windle,Customer Experience Coordinator at Meadowhall Centre to find out how they are finding different ways oflistening to their customers:

Meadowhall Centre Launch NewCustomer Service Digital Platform


Retail Matters 8th Edition

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Transcript of Retail Matters 8th Edition