March 2008

Shrinkage – product that disappears from your business and directly affects trhe bottom line. The UK has the highest shrinkage in Europe, costing 3.8 billion pounds or 1.34% of total sales, according to research carried out by ‘The Centre of Retail Research’. Globally, shrinkage is a bigger problem in the USA and Japan than in […]

Over the last few months we have been monitoring the plastic bag debate. The latest news is included below for your information. Shopping bags in the spotlight Graham Readfearn March 24, 2008 11:00pm NEVER have our humble shopping bags been the subject of such intense scrutiny. Once simply something to stuff your groceries into, the

At JSA we are constantly analyzing how we can be greener in the way we run our business. We made the decision that we should move from 50% recycled paper to 100% recycled paper for the copier machine. We contacted our local stationery supplier and asked for 100% ERA (Environmentally Responsible Approach) paper. They said

Some ideas are so simple; you wonder why you haven’t thought of them. Mates Meats is one of our local butchers, Alison and Debby have come up with a great idea. An “Order while you shop” form that is handed to their customers. You hand this in to them when you arrive at the Shopping

By John Stanley Don’t tell me consumers don’t have time to go shopping; they have all the time in the world. You just have to make sure that the time is spent in your store. The key is to split the couple up before they go shopping, it can make a huge difference. Research carried

33 Secrets for Driving Your Business to the next level Andy Buyting ISBN 978-0-978429-0-9 This is my type of book. I may be a bit biased though. I have known Andy for a number of years and was his consultant in developing his retail business, Green Village. As the title suggests this book has 33

Easter is literally around the corner and retailers should now have their promotions in full swing. Eden Gardens in Sydney have a great promotion at the entrance to their store to remind the consumer. My local supermarket has Easter Holiday Fun and provides children with information on how to colour eggs and cook Bunny Bikkies.

Jennifer Schamber of Greenscape Gardens in the USA was voted Green Profit Young retailer of the Year for 2007. Some of the great ideas she has come up with were reported in the Ball Publishing Sustainable newsletter this month. They include: Be A Greenscaper Program – Seminars on how to manage water in your garden,

Valentines is now well and truly over and what have you done with that card from a loved one, did you eat it? How about getting a card that is completely different and from someone who has made Valentine cards for Prince Charles and Sting! Flo Dunlop owns the chocolate factory in the village I

By John Stanley Talk to a lot of people who have visited Disneyland in the USA and included in their comments will be how the team members at Disneyland helped to make their experience memorable. At the same time survey after survey identifies that we, as consumers, feel customer service is on the decline. This