Customer service has the power to make or break a small shop business. Have you ever approached a shop counter and been completely ignored by staff? Or had to stand there waiting whilst shop staff finished their conversation on the phone? Almost everybody has had bad customer experience and knows how incredibly frustrating and annoying it can be, it may even make you decide not to shop there again. No matter how cheap your goods, bad service will drive your customers away so it’s essential that you establish a good customer service policy both for yourself and for any additional staff to adhere to.  Good customer service can even drive up your profits; take a look at the lingerie shop of Boudice, they sell expensive lingerie but their customers are willing to pay those prices because of the service they receive in return. It may be a bit of a

You might think that baskets are just for supermarkets – after all who wants to carry a basket around a small independent shop? But that’s where you would be horribly wrong. Imagine the scenario; a woman walks into a shop, which is a good sign, she obviously wants to buy something. But hang on, she’s already got one of her hands full – she’s carrying a handbag. Well of course she is, who do you know goes shopping without their handbag or perhaps a purchase they’ve already made? In fact we are so used to going out of the house with a bag that on the rare occasions we leave the house completely empty handed we feel as though we’ve forgotten something. Ok, so back to the woman, she’s walked into the shop and one of her hands is already taken up with her bag which leaves just one hand

Key to every new shop and even every established shop is a business plan. It details your ambitions, what direction you want to head in as well as realistically planning out the figures for the present. Without a good business plan you are pretty much thrashing around blindly in a sea full of sharks. For new shop businesses, a good business plan is key to their success and absolutely vital if you need to approach the bank for a loan. However once shops are up and running it can be tempting to let that business plan drop by the wayside, after all you got your loan from the bank, the accountant is dealing with your sales forecasts and overheads, what use could a business plan possibly be for an already established shop? Think back to when you did your first business plan draft, all those ideas you can about where