Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

Retail principles
1 Know your customer
2 Know your product
3 Establish your brand and niche
4 Build a team to compete
5 Market your product and brand
6 Launch the business and Sell, Sell, Sell
7 Customer service is everything
8 Merchandise and manage your stock
9 Manage your information and finances
10 Build foundation for growth
11 Etail and Social Media

CASE STUDY ONE
Online retail case study

CASE STUDY TWO
Culture and values development case study

The Summary

Top Tips

Acknowledgements

About the author

Testimonials

About the Author

Antony specialises in Retail, with over 20 years experience in the retail industry, including 15 years learning from the large retailers (Marks & Spencer, Sainsburys, Dixons Retail) and experience of smaller retailers, including the set up, and subsequent sale, of a very successful online retailer.

Starting in a newsagent at the age of 15, was when Antony fell in love with retail and this progressed throughout his life and still to this day.

Once at college he started work at Sainsbury’s and soon progressed to the customer service team. With retail now firmly in his blood he went to Loughborough University to study Retail Management for 4 years, including a year in Mark & Spencer stores. This is where he started to learn the real detail of running a successful retail business. On graduation he moved to London, joining the Sainsbury’s Graduate programme, spending two years at HQ in trading and property roles.

He then returned to Marks and Spencer where he spent 5 years at HQ, learning the trade in areas such as store development, buying and merchandising.

The following 5 years were spent at Dixons Retail, where he looked after the UK E-commerce sites, the Dixons chain, a B2B company and spent 2 years in the Czech Republic creating a new European Shared Service (Finalist in the European Shared Service awards). With his last role as the Commercial Finance Director for the UK.

In 2009, he left Dixons Retail to set up the retail arm of FreshMax Shirts (SmartWeave) - the world’s only fabric which eliminates sweat patches.

Antony now heads up the Retail Potential company, offering Retail Consultancy and the flagship programme - The Retail Inspector programme which offers independent retailers access to the best practice from larger retailers.

Please contact us for further information about our services and for free downloads at: www.retailinspector.com

Join in the conversation #retailinspector – details are at the end of each chapter.

Reviews

“There is a good combination of strategy and `nitty-gritty’, with numerous common-sense tips based on insights from Antony’s retail experience. Both the planning and the execution are well covered and each section has a helpful checklist of subjects to consider. The book is possibly unique in providing such a comprehensive practical guide to retailing in one compact volume.”
*Roger Best, Retailer with over 20 years experience leading consumer brands and former CEO of Radley*

“Retail has been around as long as man himself, yet I’m sure it has never before been captured in such simple prose and so comprehensively. Using real life case studies this book will offer you advice to improve your retail skills.”
*Mark Buckley, Business Analyst, Marks and Spencer*

“Retail is more than just the product: it’s the customer, the store colleagues, the service and the relationship between all of them. This book neatly pulls these elements together in a way that both the novice and the expert will find both useful and accessible”
*Neil Symons, Head of HR Transformation Rollout, International FTSE 100 Retailer*

“In this comprehensive Retail Handbook, Antony covers the major challenges of running a retail business. Practical advice and examples throughout the book will help your retail business to grow and importantly focuses on the customers and the team. A great aide for all retailers”
*Mark Chatterton, Group Sales and Marketing Director, Computers Unlimited*

“A comprehensive guide to all things retail. Whether you have been retailing for 20 years or are just dipping your toe in the water, you’ll find tips to improve your business”
*Jo Illingworth, former Head of Brand Marketing, Dixons Tax Free*

“Retail is more than just the product: it’s the customer, the store colleagues, the service and the relationship between all of them. This book neatly pulls these elements together in a way that both the novice and the expert will find both useful and accessible”
*Neil Symons, Head of HR Transformation Rollout, International FTSE 100 Retailer*

“Antony’s enthusiasm for retail shows as much in his writing as it does when in person - that’s one helluva lot of enthusiasm. This handbook is a must for all those trying to get to grips with the quintessentials of retail - our students need one as standard issue.”
*Cheryl Travers, Senior Lecturer, Retail Management, Loughborough University*

“The passion for and understanding of retail in all its finest details radiate from this book and the author personally”
*Frank Van Bommel, Training and Development Manager, Dixons Retail*