Liz Pantling Jones: Take a walk on the wild side

For those of you who have not had the opportunity to listen to The kbbreview Podcast episode, or have missed the write up in the June issue of the magazine, the kbbreview Retail Safari consisted of a group of retailers meeting with retail expert, Ian Scott, to discuss how our sector has changed and how it continues to evolve.

We also had the opportunity to visit the stores of retailers that are actively taking steps to pave their own way on the high street.

Now having had the time to reflect and begin implementing some of the insightful approaches we saw and discussed, I think now is a great time to share the lasting highlights and challenges.

We should all be taking note of our own unique and personal stories. The joy, the success, the hardship and truth – exposing the vulnerable moments but also showing the strength and tenacity we need to prosper in these times.

These stories connect us to our clients through shared values, relatability, and trust. Each retailer we visited had their story clearly documented and visible. The journey they shared created a compelling urge to buy. Whilst we all know our own stories, how well do we tell it and what impact does it have on our clients?

If, like me, you find yourself glossing over this then perhaps we should be questioning why and begin to correct this. A simple, yet effective fix.

Destination retail

One of the points I found incredibly interesting on the safari revolved around links to other industries and disciplines. For example, how many of us knew that the handmade soap company, Lush, uses its retail stores to hold private events?

Rapha Clubhouse is a premium cycle business – set up to celebrate and promote cycling. Its London store commits almost 50% of its retail outlet space as a coffee shop, providing a hub for cyclists to meet, share cycle routes, inspire each other, network, and relax. Not to mention the opportunity to pick up impulse buy items such as clothing.

How can we implement these ideas? Now that’s the challenge! How do you take these big ideas from businesses who arguably have far greater capital, exposure, and are partly driven by impulse and repeat purchases, into a tangible asset for our own small businesses that are heavily based on service and potentially once in a lifetime purchases?

Once the initial excitement and motivation of this day dissipated, I was quickly brought back down to earth and hit by reality. Trying to implement these touches into Lima Kitchens would require a lot of effort, capital, and time. How do these initiatives impact the routine and structure that work well for us? What return would we see?

Our story is not evident in our showroom but that should be fairly simple to implement on a basic level with limited space. It is a work in progress, and we are planning to incorporate what we can into our new entrance display as a way to begin our client journey.

Do we open our space to interior designers and architects, or do we focus on consumers? We are already equipped for basic ‘meet and greet’ hosting, with the ability to offer drinks from our working displays.

The next challenge is attracting these people, getting them to remember us and rely on our presentation space as an option for their business. This is never going to happen overnight – will I keep up the enthusiasm and motivation in achieving this along with day-to-day responsibilities?

Last year, when discussing supplier relationships on The kbbreview Podcast, it was highlighted that there are several ways in which suppliers can assist in helping us, but very few retailers take them up on their support. These are tried and tested systems offering greater variety than cooking demonstrations!

For example, there are suppliers out there actively engaging with architects and promoting sustainability through design. Why not request to meet their forward-thinking network? A great way to engage would be to host CPD events, essential on-going training for architects. Wine tasting evenings through wine cooler manufacturers are also available. These are great places to start and provide a wider interest and subsequently, a wider audience. I’m not a big one for networking meetings but I do appreciate the benefit of meeting other small business owners.

My way around this has been to directly approach businesses who we may be able to mutually benefit from, and not necessarily kitchen based. So far, we have successfully connected with a professional home organiser, local florists, and a winery – all with plans to collaborate within our space. 

We also plan to host a Macmillan Coffee Morning, creating a great opportunity to meet up with old and new clients, plus connect with other businesses on our industrial estate.

Thinking about digital, I’ve spent time assessing how I can make our showroom more interactive and plan to set up pages on our website, which will be accessed directly from QR codes within the showroom, providing further information about each display.

This was an incredibly interesting and inspiring experience. I look forward to seeing the inclusions for the next group lucky enough to take part.