Retail Matters Issue 3

Retail MattersISSUE THREE AUGUST 20

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Retail Hub of the North...

In this Issue:Retail Independents’ Day

Ice Cream Inspiration

A Passion for Pottery

Inspiring Retailers of the Future

Funding for Retail SME’s

It’s a Crafty Business

A Little Slice of Genius

RM_Issue3_August2013_Layout 1 12/11/2013 14:48


Welcome…...to Retail Matters

Retail Matters Conference – 27th September 2013

This month we are showcasing some inspirational retailers and businesses who are sharingtheir stories and, I’m sure you will agree, inspiring us to think outside the box!

My biggest focus at the moment iscustomer service and after having anegative experience recently, I amhearing more and more tales fromfriends, family and customers which hashighlighted the great potential forretailers to up their game and ensurethat customer service is at the top oftheir agenda. I’ll be sharing some ofthese stories over the coming months,from some embarrassingly poorexperiences to some exceptionalexamples which have encouraged me tovisit stores time and time again.The last few months have been busy forthe Sheffield City Region. I wasabsolutely delighted in July when I sawthe response for Retail Independents’Day in Sheffield City Centre. Fargatebecame a unique market, full of excitingand innovative products that give aflavour of what the region has to offer

customers. It created a buzz for bothretailers and customers and remindedme of how markets used to be –theatrical and exciting. I for one am proud to shop in theSheffield City Region. I think we have avast array of shops right on our doorstepthat can offer everything a customerneeds, from high street chains all underone roof, to pockets of independentshops where the stock changes each day.Now is an exciting time for retail and Iam thrilled we are all part of it. I hope you enjoy this edition of RetailMatters. Please keep your stories comingin, we look forward to receiving them.

Ann CadmanVice Chair of the Sheffield City RegionRetail Forum and Director of TheSource Skills Academy

If you are interested in advertising in Retail Matters or submitting an editorial feature, please contact us for further information.

Contacts - Martin Howard - t: 0114 265 6655 e: [email protected]

The next Retail Matters conference will be held on Thursday 27thSeptember at The Source Skills Academy, Meadowhall from 10am – 12noon.

We have some fantastic speakers at the event looking to share theirretail experiences. Key speakers include Catherine Morgan from Marksand Spencer, David Hanney from Planet X, James Wilson from We LoveSleep, Lee Hawksworth from Welcome to Yorkshire, Kara Chapman

from The Whistle Stop Sweet Shop, the Rotherham Retail InvestmentTeam and Robert Lane, Chair of the Sheffield City Region Retail Groupand Director at Lane Walker.

For further information or to book your ticket, contact Eleanor Spenceon 0114 263 5602 or email [email protected]

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Retail Independents’ Day

Thousands turned out to support RetailIndependents’ Day on 4th July, bringingtogether retailers from across the city centre tocreate one market place for customers.

Councillor Leigh Bramall, cabinet member forBusiness Skills and Development at SheffieldCity Council, said: “We were delighted toprovide support for Independents’ Day,providing funding to promote the campaign

and to support the organisation of a quirkyshowcase market on Fargate.

We are lucky to have a unique and vibrantoffering of independent shops in Sheffield,60% of all our retailers in the city centre areindependent and we are already home toChapel Walk, Division Street, The NicholsBuilding and others which are well supportedby the Sheffield community. The Independents’

Market involved a range of Independentretailers from the city centre and showcasedsome of the best independents we have, whichcaptured people’s imagination and brought theCity Centre to life.”

Next time you are looking for that perfectdress or your weekly groceries, try your localindependent; you may be surprised what youfind!

If you were out and about in Sheffield City Centre in July, you may have noticed the vast array of independentretailers showcasing their wares as part of a national campaign to celebrate independent stores across the UK.

Ice Cream InspirationThe new Moor Markets are set to open in November this year and will bring together some of Sheffield’s bestindependent traders, offering a diverse shopping experience for customers all under one beautifully designedroof. One of the new traders joining the Moor Markets is Yee Kwan Ice Cream.

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After being made redundant from her positionas a Chartered Surveyor, Yee Kwan was lookingfor a new opportunity and noticing a gap in themarket launched her own business, Yee Kwanice cream. With the ambition of bringinginnovative flavored ice cream to Sheffield, Yeeconcocted a diverse selection of flavoursranging from Far Eastern best seller Matchagreen tea, to the true brit inspired Bakewelltart.

Yee has won two Deliciously Yorkshire Awardsfor her innovative ice cream and developed arelationship with Harvey Nichols who stockher ice cream at their department stores inKnightsbridge, Manchester and Leeds.

Opening the store in the Moor Markets will beYee’s first permanent retail space and she iskeen to work within the store, meetingcustomers and embracing the buzzing marketfirst hand. Yee’s ice cream parlour is a brandnew concept for the markets and in addition toher honest handcrafted ice cream and sorbet,Yee will offer freshly baked cookies,handcrafted sauces and brittles.

Andy ward, Head of Sheffield Markets said: “It’sfantastic news that more independents fromthe region are joining us in the new markets. It’sa great opportunity for businesses to really gettheir name out there and we are delighted tohave Yee Kwan on board.”

Yee said: “I’ve been on a real journey sinceopening my business and I’m really passionateabout bringing unusual flavored ice cream tothe local area. The business opportunities forindependents are endless and it’s important to

reach new markets and let customers see forthemselves how fantastic your product is. I’mdelighted to be involved in the regeneration ofthe Moor Markets. The new building will offera fantastic shopping experience, bringing agreat energy to retail. My team and I can’t waitfor the opening in November and we hope tosee you all there!

To keep up to date with the latest news fromYee, follow her on Twitter @yeekwanicecreamand like Yee Kwan Ice Cream on Facebook.


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“I have always been a creative soul with apassion for pretty things and started selling myillustrations at art markets in 2008 to make abit of pocket money from what was just ahobby at the time. I graduated with a degree inArchitecture one year later and I knew mypassion was in illustrations, but I had no ideahow to turn it into my career.

I never realised owning a business was anoption to me; I had been taught at school thatyou get your GCSE’s, then your A Levels,followed by a degree and then progressed intoa great job. When the recession hit, it was a bitof a shock and Architecture was really badlyaffected. Going through testing times in mycareer made me more resourceful and open tocreating my own opportunities.

When I first decided to bring together myillustrations with pottery, I was firing tea sets inmy Dad’s garage and that’s where Mellor Warewas born. I’m really passionate abouteverything I turn my hand to and it wasimportant that I made a success of mybusiness. Things grew and in 2011 we startedsupplying Liberty of London and in 2012 Irecruited my first member of staff. Emmajoined us as an Apprentice and we haven’tlooked back. My business has continued togrow ever since and we currently export toBelgium, Hong Kong, South Korea and America,along with supplying many independent Britishretailers.

The range now encompasses everything fromcake stands, teapots and mugs, to tea towels,aprons and christening gifts. The concept ofthe range is that you can collect multiple items

of chinaware, adding different characters tobuild your own unique tea party set. Each willthen tell your own individual tale of Britishwildlife having a tea party!

In 3-5 years time I would like Mellor Ware to bea recognised brand around the world andstocked in lots of lovely shops. I am alwaysadding to the product lines and designs sosteadily expanding into different areas forexample soft furnishings and children'sproducts. I have a strong desire to have my ownMellor Ware factory right here in Sheffieldwhere we can manufacture all the china fromscratch, keeping traditional skills alive whileutilising research into great contemporarymethods of production.”

www.mellorware.co.uk0114 221 0581

Following a ‘lightbulb moment’ in 2010, Lianne Mellor decided to combine her love of illustrations with herpassion for afternoon tea to create a dreamy wonderland where squirrels drink tea and badgers eat cake!

A Passion for Pottery



Inspiring Retailers of the Future

Lisa started her career at 14 in a localnewsagent’s chain as a Saturday girl beforemoving into a local independent bookshop andafterwards, working for a number of years inB&Q Hillsborough, Sheffield. With Lisa’s wealthof experience, she has seen retail evolve overthe years.

All these roles were alongside busy full timeoffice management roles and helped to fundeverything from a first trip abroad to buyingher first house. Lisa has been working on avoluntary basis with schools across the regionand would encourage local business to do thesame.

“I have been involved with local schools on allsorts of projects to support entrepreneurshipwith students from 5-18. Without exception,these students have wanted to sell, run theirown shop/stall/online shop in order to createthemselves ‘wealth’. My own 5 year old tellsme all the time that she wants to run her ownshop!

The students have used events in schools toraise awareness and funds for a number of localcharities and in the process have learnedaccounting skills, customer service, stockcontrol and marketing; even producing videosand jingles to advertise. Though they may notrecognise it yet, these activities may be thebasis for their future careers. I never cease tobe inspired by them. Whilst we must recognise

that the High Streets and out of town offeringis different and Omnichannel marketing foreveryone’s business is the way forward, thefundamentals are the same…great customerservice, strong financial management and anopenness to change are the key.”

Airmaster celebrates 21 years in business thisyear and is proud to work with retailers bothlocally and nationally. Involved in fullmechanical services refurbishments andmaintenance and responsible for designingheating and cooling of retail spaces, Airmasterhas a wide range of clients from nationalmanufacturers and supermarket chains, to localshops, doctors surgeries and office spaces.

Lisa Pogson, Director at Airmaster and member of the Retail Forum, is passionate about the importance ofexcellent customer service and creating a positive career path for our future retailers.

Funding for Retail SME’s

Stuart McClarnan – Owner, Stuarts Fruit and Veg, Sheffield Markets said: “The Source has helped us become more profitable and grow our business inthe right way. We’ve accessed customer service and retail training which has been excellent and given a boost to our business. Even though we havebeen operating for 10 years, there is always more to learn.”

If you are a retailer looking to grow your organisation, contact The Source on 0114 263 6652 for further information.

*Subject to eligibility, please contact The Source to discuss your personal circumstances

This programme is supported by The Skills Enhancement Fund which is co-financed by the Skills Funding Agency through the European Social Fundand funded by Yorkshire Forward

Retailers based in the Sheffield City Region may be eligible for 90% funding for customer service and retailtraining courses* through The Source. With courses starting at just £4.50 per person, it’s an affordable way forretailers to develop their workforce and ensure customer service is of the highest standard.

Courses range from customer service and sales, to management and business planning.

Courses include the following:

WorldHost - Principles of Customer Service *£8.50 per person, normally £85.00*

WorldHost - Sales Powered By Service *£4.50 per person, normally £65.00*

WorldHost - Frontline Management Solutions *£8.50 per person, normally £120.00*

WorldHost - Service Across Cultures *£8.50 per person, normally £85.00*

Guide to Successful Retailing - Retail Business Planning and Finance *£8.50 per person, normally £85.00*

Guide to Successful Retailing - Driving Sales through Marketing *£8.50 per person, normally £85.00*

Guide to Successful Retailing - Buying and Visual Merchandising *£8.50 per person, normally £85.00*

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It’s a Crafty Business After climbing to the top of the career ladder only to discover it didn’t meet her expectations, Diane Hemsleydecided to follow her passion and opened her very own craft shop in Retford. Although the journey hasn’tbeen smooth sailing, Diane wouldn’t have it any other way…

“When I was having a stressful time doing my highly paid butdemanding job in IT I would day dream as a way of relaxing. Iimagined myself running a craft shop / coffee bar with a gallery andworkshop facilities. I then inherited the boss from hell and decidedthat I was going to give up my job and do something more creativeand less stressful (ha ha).

Friends of my sisters, knowing of my dream, asked me if I wanted totake on a small retail unit (stable) adjacent to theirs on a countryestate. I used the profits from a house sale and a sketchy businessplan and opened up my first Craft shop in September 2005. Gettingsuppliers proved difficult because they wanted me to have existingsuppliers to give references. A couple of good suppliers gave me achance and I still use them today.

On my first day of trading I had a bit of a panic attack. I realised that Ihad never dreamed of being an actual shop keeper but I decided thatI had invested too much to not at least give it a go. After a few days Idiscovered that I didn’t really like selling but that I liked theinteraction with my customers, especially when I was able to teachthem something new or help with a problem.

I had my first business for four years and the selling bit got easier butI found the small space impractical for running workshops and theout of town location became difficult to staff. I was on the brink ofselling up when the opportunity arose of much larger town centrepremises with tremendous scope for running craft workshops. Myniece, fresh from university, came to help me and we built the newbusiness up and created a website to advertise the shop andworkshops.

I found that town centre selling was different, before I had a new setof customers each week but now I had the same customers on afortnightly basis. It changed the way that I stocked the shop but hadno real impact on the takings. Every year I plot the monthly takingsand if I were to show you the graph you would see that it has thesame highs and lows at the same time every year despite any growth. I have 2 part time staff and a fantastic young man that came to do work experience for a week and has been back voluntarily every day since.

After 5 years in the town centre I am about to move premises again to a shop with a bigger display window and less risk of structural damage. The cost of moving premises is almost as much as starting a new business when the decorating, solicitors and signage has been taken into considerationbut I know that the move is necessary.

I would not say that my shop keeping career has been the dream thatI expected it to be but it is far from being a nightmare. I consistentlyoverspend on stock if I don’t keep a careful eye on my spending andas a result I don’t earn much money. I work roughly 6 days a week butthe way I see it I have had the high powered, high earning career andultimately I wasn’t happy. What I do now isn’t really a job; it’s more away of life and far more rewarding.”

The Craft Shop, Retfordwww.the-craft-shop.biz

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A leap of faith from construction management to food retail a year and a half ago resulted in the ‘birth’ of UrbanPantry, a fine-food delicatessen in Crookes. Since opening, owner Reece Lippolis has been working really hard toprovide the right kind of products, build connections with the local community and continually grow the businessby providing new services and creating cooperative associations with other businesses.

“It was a big step, leaving a secure well-paid job, to embark on such an uncertainproject as starting a shop, especially in thecurrent economic climate - but it felt rightto swap my high-vis jacket for an apron!Knowing little about retail when I startedmade it more of a challenge, but believingin the products and having a clear aim interms of the ‘local’ and ‘quality’ ethosmade some aspects easier.

“I’ve gradually built up a large range ofstock and have been getting goodfeedback about the products we offer. Thebest being regular custom, of which wehave a lot. I think the tricky thing at themoment for us is trying to reach out topeople in other parts of Sheffield as lotsof people don’t know we exist. We evenopen later in the evenings toaccommodate customers who would liketo pop in on their way home from work.So from Monday to Friday we are open10am – 6.30pm and 9.30am – 5.30pm onSaturdays.”

A significant development at Urban Pantryis the sale of cheese wedding cakes. We’refinding these are really popular becausethey provide such a great alternative (oraddition) to a traditional cake. They lookfantastic and make a great showpiece andtalking point for a wedding. All of thecheeses are top quality and are very tastybut another thing that’s so great abouthaving cheese for your wedding cake is

that every layer is different. So there’spretty much something to suit everyone!

My wife Grace and I had a cheese cake atour wedding in June this year and madesure we ordered a nice big one so wecould enjoy the leftover cheesethroughout our honeymoon in Cornwall!

Cheese boards are also in demand, forweddings, dinner parties, businessmeetings and events and from social oractivity groups who meet on a regularbasis.

We’ve recently added salad and deli boxesto our range, to provide a lunchtimeoption for customers. Made fresh everyday, we serve them in handy take-awaycontainers with various ingredients and achoice of dressings.

Looking ahead, I’m keen to be reallyprepared for customers for Christmas thisyear. Drawing on the experience of lastyear, I feel we can build on the popularityof the Christmas hampers for both ourindividual and corporate customers.

Our aim is to grow and develop thebusiness, step-by-step, and always inresponse to our customers’ needs, and in away that can be sustained into the future.”

To find out more, visitwww.urbanpantry.co.uk or follow them on Twitter @UrbanPantryDeli

A Little Slice of Genius


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We have Apprenticeships available in:• Retail• Customer Service• Marketing• Administration• Warehousing

• Management• Hospitality• Painting & Decorating• Brickwork• Motor Vehicle

“All for employment,employment for all”

“All for employment,employment for all”

At The Source, we believe our Employables are the futurefor business. The Source offers various Apprenticeships forindividuals who are looking for employment and notcurrently at school, college or sixth form. We also offerApprenticeships for people who are currently employedand looking to improve their skills, so there’s something foreveryone!

Looking for EmploymentWe have many South Yorkshire businesses looking to employ anApprentice. The vacancies are full time and allow you to get paid whilststudying for your Apprenticeship. Our team of Tutors visit you and youremployer at work to support you through the qualification and you mayspend some time at The Source too.An Apprenticeship is a great start to any career and we have vacanciesready and waiting to be filled. You can apply for one of our fantasticvacancies at www.thesourceacademy.co.uk – just click on the ‘JobOpportunities’ tab at the top of the page for our live vacancies.

Currently EmployedApprenticeships are a great way to gain a nationally recognisedqualification whilst you work. Qualifications are available in a numberof subject areas and can be tailored to suit you and your employer.Apprenticeships help you improve your skills, knowledge andconfidence, giving you all the equipment you need for your future.The length of qualifications are a minimum of 12 months and can rangeto 2 years, depending on the qualification and level you undertake.Most of the training is delivered in the workplace at a time to suit youand your employer. This way our Tutors can assess you in your workenvironment and you don’t miss out on getting paid. We havequalifications available at different levels (level 2 or 3) to suit you andyour development. You will also gain qualifications in functional skillsand a technical certificate.

EmployerApprenticeships are a great way to develop the skills of a newemployee or up-skill your existing workforce. There are a wide range ofApprenticeship qualifications available in a number of industry sectorsto suit your business. As an employer you can become involved inApprenticeships in two ways:

Recruit an ApprenticeRecruiting an Apprentice is a great way of expanding your workforcewith new talent.

Apprentices can develop their skills to gain a Level 2 or 3 whilstcarrying outtheir duties in the workplace. Recruiting an Apprentice is as easy as1,2,3:1. Provide a job description2. We advertise, interview and shortlist for your consideration3. You interview and select the Apprentice to join your business.Once our Recruitment Advisors have found your perfect Apprenticeand they are in post, a Work Based Tutor will carry out regular visits tosupport you and your Apprentice through their qualification.

Up-skilling Existing EmployeesThe Source also offers Apprenticeship courses for existing employeesat all ages. Existing employees can develop their skills to gain a Level 2or 3 qualification whilst carrying out their current duties in theworkplace. You can even take this opportunity to expand the skills ofindividuals to take on new responsibilities. Up-skilling your existing workforce with Apprenticeship courses is agreat way to:• Motivate your workforce• Increase productivity with a skilled workforce• Reduce skills shortages• Access tailor-made courses with your business/sector in mind• Succession planning

If you are an individual looking for an Apprenticeship, or a business looking to recruit an Apprentice, contact us today on

0114 263 6652 or email [email protected]


Retail Matters Issue 3

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Transcript of Retail Matters Issue 3