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| Retailing plays a vital
role in the perception that visitors gain of a tourist attraction. No matter how
magnificent the building or famous the collection, if the merchandise in the shop is not 'right' or
the staff are not, or do not appear to be, welcoming, professional and
eager to please, the visit will be a disappointment and news of the
experience will spread very quickly. We can help you to project the right image through your shop. We are professional retailers working exclusively with museums, cathedrals, historic houses and other visitor attractions and we understand the problems of running successful shops in these situations. We select our merchandise with care and train our staff to offer the highest levels of customer service. We understand both your needs and those of your customers and, because we are not managing any other aspect of the attraction's activities, we are able to concentrate exclusively on ensuring that the shop always meets everyone's expectations. Contracting out your shop can provide
many benefits. Here are some of them:- |
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| Benefits of Contract Retailing | ||
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| Our Contract Fee is
normally divided into two parts. Part I is an agreed rental figure for the space and is paid quarterly, regardless of the level of sales. Part II is turnover-related and is calculated by applying a sliding scale of percentages to the net sales - the higher the sales, the larger the percentage. This sum is paid annually.
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| Not only do we assume financial
responsibility for all the stock necessary to run the business in the
normal way but we also remove the additional financial burdens that
often result from poor buying decisions.
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| We select and develop
products for your shop on the basis of their relevance to your site and
its immediate environment. We
also ensure that the merchandise is, of course, appropriate to your visitors. We normally pay all product development costs but the production of a new Guide Book is always subject to separate negotiation.
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| In addition to normal
employment costs (salaries, NI & pensions) we are also responsible
for the cost of recruitment and training. The current legal position regarding service contracts means that we would also be responsible for employing your existing staff.
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| When looking at the
viability of an existing shop, it is very easy to overlook the time
spent by staff whose costs are not charged against its profits,
particularly senior management and the accounts staff who have to
process invoices and pay the staff's wages. Retailing issues still
need to be discussed and dealt with when a shop is contracted out but,
in our experience, these only take a fraction of the time that they
would do otherwise.
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| Creating a shop that
reflects well upon the core attraction and its work, is enjoyed by visitors and
also makes a profit, is a difficult task. Not only does it require
a good manager but it also depends upon the amount of training, support
and retail advice that he or she can expect to receive from senior
management. As
professional retailers (and retail trainers) we are able to provide the
necessary expertise to ensure that standards are always maintained at
the very highest levels.
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| To discuss whether
contract retailing is a viable option for you, please contact us to arrange an on-site meeting, entirely without obligation.
Beaufort House
Willesley Tetbury Gloucestershire GL8 8QU Telephone: 01666 880444 email: retailmatters@aol.com |
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