Nationally-acclaimed retail experts are offering their advice to traders in Telford as part of a project to reinvigorate the borough’s traditional high streets.
Telford & Wrekin Council’s £1 million Pride In Your High Street Fund is aimed at energising the local town centres across the borough.
One of the projects to be awarded funding through the scheme is a business support programme – a series of free practical workshops designed to give high street traders the extra skills they need to attract more customers.
The idea is that successful traders will pull more people into town centres, encouraging more businesses to open and more shoppers to visit, creating a positive cycle of improvement.
A big part of the workshops includes input from award-winning retailers, like Dan Corns who has transformed a group of charity shops into an enormously successful chain.
He runs 19 shops for St Richard’s Hospice shops across Worcestershire and has some sage advice regarding topics like card payments and visual marketing.
“I was delighted to have been asked to be part of the project,” he said. “The high street retail market has never been tougher, but there are lots of things that traders can do to help themselves.
“My advice includes the importance of being able to take card payments – our shops saw customers’ average spend shoot up by 22 per cent as soon as we started accepting debit and credit cards, so it’s massively important.
“I also talk about the dos and don’ts of visual marketing – things like making sure the front of your shop looks as good as it possibly can and reducing clutter around the till.
“Things that may sound simple and obvious, but I know from experience that traders sometimes overlook the simple things because they are so busy doing other things – but they really do make a difference.”
Telford traders who come on the free workshops will also hear advice from retail expert, Carmel Allen, who was recently named ‘retailer of the year’ by Homes and Gardens magazine.
She is currently creative director of the Linley Group, the homeware retailer set up 30 years ago by the Queen’s nephew, Viscount Linley, and sits on the board of London homeware store, Heal’s, and the British Design Council.
Carmel talks about how traders can understand their customers better, and the skill of building customer databases to help with promotional activities.
Another expert offering their advice and experience is John Martin, who spearheaded Pitshanger Lane’s entry in the Great British High Street competition, which won the award for the best high street in London.
Sally Themans, of the business support programme delivery team, said the advice from these sorts of figures in the retail industry was priceless.
“We are absolutely delighted that Dan, Carmel and John agreed to get involved with the project,” she said.
“They really know their stuff, and everyone who has heard their advice at previous workshops has said how useful they have found it.
“Some Shropshire-based experts are also part of the programme, including retailer, Kevin Bellwood, who shares his experience of using social media to create interest in his business.
“And Cara Pelucci, who runs two fashion stores, talks about how to make your shop ‘more than a store’ – she has done this by building a customer database and inviting customers to special shopping nights, which have really boosted her profits in tough market conditions.
“All of the workshops are fully-funded by the project, so there is no cost to traders, and we would urge anyone who runs a business in the town centres covered by the project to get involved.”
Workshops are taking place in in Wellington, Donnington, Hadley, Ironbridge, Madeley, Newport and Oakengates.