Not surprisingly, we're getting a lot of talk at the moment about saving money.

All the usual stuff about battening down the hatches and tightening the purse strings. When times get tough for your business there's an understandable temptation to stop spending money wherever possible, particularly on things like advertising, marketing and training. So it was good to go on a couple of press trips recently that showed me there are still companies out there prepared to really push the boat out for their customers.

Take Ripples for example. I know we've given them a slightly mixed press lately and like most companies they've had a few problems with some of their retailers. However, their more successful people are certainly made to feel wanted, as I found out recently when they invited me to join them at their annual conference at the very imposing Ritz Carlton hotel in County Wicklow, Ireland.

As md Roger Kyme pointed out to me, the event isn't just a chance for retailers to let their hair down a bit and enjoy a black tie jolly in one of Ireland's top hotels. There was a serious side to it too, which included a full day of presentations from individual franchisees, giving an overview of their business strategy and typical working day. As an outsider, it gave me a useful insight into the little things that make certain businesses more successful than others, and no doubt it gave franchisees some valuable pointers too.

Special guest at the event was Mary Portas, better known as TV's Mary Queen of Shops. Quite a coup for Ripples I'd have thought, and not exactly a cheap option, so full marks to them for getting such a high-profile speaker. She gave a really good presentation too, with plenty of advice specific to the bathroom business rather than just the retail sector as a whole.

It was also good to hear a rare note of optimism in such difficult trading conditions: "It's the right time for the independent," Portas told us. "People who've built businesses without specialising in service will be the ones caught out. It's time for a return to quality, integrity, knowledge and trust. It's about asking yourself how good your shop really is. The shopper of the future will take great merchandise for granted. Instead they'll be asking more questions. You need to be the retailer who answers those questions, who imparts that knowledge."

I've also recently been out to Germany to visit kitchen manufacturer Schuller. Again it was interesting to see UK distributor In-House invite many of its dealers along for a trip that many manufacturers might have been forgiven for postponing. However, despite the heavy cost of ferrying about 60 kitchen retailers over to Germany, putting them up in a decent hotel and giving them as much frothy lager as they wanted, the trip was a great success on many fronts.

Not only was it a good exercise in building relationships between suppliers and talking through any issues they had, but it gave them a chance to see the ranges in the sort of magnificent showroom setting that seems a comparative rarity over here.

The message coming through loud and clear both at Schuller and at Ripples seems to be to hell with downturn in the market. In times like these it's as important as ever to keep your name out here, to promote your brand and your products and to keep the customer satisfied. 

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