The State of Independents

With all the doom and gloom surrounding our small, local independent shopkeepers here's a rather more uplifting example of what can be done. Based in the market town of Poulton-le-Fylde in Lancashire, local man Sam Clegg has been a purveyor of fine quality meat from his small shop for many years.

Offering a wide range of homemade sausages, home cured bacon and locally sourced meat Sam also provides expert advice to his loyal band of customers. On a recent, typical, Saturday he had no fewer than seven staff on hand to cut and trim meat to the customer's specification, but also just provide a speedy yet friendly service at the counter.

The shop window and internal counters are always invitingly merchandised.

Sam is shown here on the right with one of his many highly skilled and personable butchers.

No such thing as free?

I have to admit it but it appears there is such a thing as 'free'. When a close associate decided to purchase a new coat in the Glasgow branch of John Lewis Partnership on Saturday she was a little disappointed not to be able to get the colour she wanted. Having tried on the appropriate size she was then able to have the order placed in store, in the desired colour, for home delivery. By mid-morning Monday the right coat in the right colour arrived in Lancashire, beautifully packaged with a coat protector.

And the extra cost for delivery? Nothing, zilch. Yes, yes, yes FREE. [Perhaps there's a case for asking for a discount when purchasing something in store?]

Internet shopping

Just received one of our infrequent 'big shop' deliveries from Sainsbury's online. The product is picked and delivered from a store about twenty five miles away. Due to arrive in a pre-arranged slot between 3 and 4 pm, the polite driver turned up at 3.35pm.

Product brought to the front door - and it's blowing a gale outside, so that was good news - and the goods were in no fewer than ten carrier bags plus the items that were not bagged up e.g. large pack toilet rolls.

Bad news on the availability front however: 3 swaps/replacements and 1 non-available. But did we really mean to buy three Cadbury's Drinking Chocolate? Hope they have a long sell-by date! Wonder what would have ha penned if we had ordered 30?

This week I was on Radio 4's "You & Yours" (16 November, 12.00-1.00) providing some comment on internet retailing by small independent food retailers. The radio programme featured http://www.beelocal.co.uk/ a new venture in the south Lake District. I subsequently found out about a similar scheme in Somerset: http://www.localfooddirect.co.uk/. They have interesting business models.

By the way as I was writing this blog I got a call from the person who placed the order in the household: no she (whoops!) did not mean to order three. Any one for a drink?

Small retailers and internet retailing

Here's a good feature on a fledgling internet retail business: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00nsp6q.


Go to 36:18 in the feature. It lasts until 45:29. (I 'appear' between 42:39 and 44:05)