retail matters issue 4

Retail MattersISSUE FOUR SEPTEMBER 20

13

Retail Hub of the North...

In this issue:The importance of retail in Sheffield

An update on the retail sector group

Barnsley bucking the trend

Christmas in the Sheffield City Region

Ann Cadman and the red iron

Focus on The Button Tin, Rotherham

RM_Issue4_September2013_Layout 1 12/11/2013 14:53


Welcome…...to Retail Matters

This month we highlight preparations which councils, shopping centres and retailers aremaking for the Christmas period, when additional retail activity will help to stimulate growth,create jobs and attract visitors to the Sheffield City Region.

I would like to share with you some publishedstatistics which demonstrate the extent towhich the retail sector contributes to oureconomy throughout the year:

• The retail sector is the second largestemployer in Sheffield, providing jobs to30,600 people1. Nationally the retail sectoris responsible for 12% of total UKinvestment in training2;

• Retail generates considerable economicvalue and is a key driver of growth in theUK. Retail Sales totalled £303 billion in 2011(20% of the UK’s GDP) and the sector grewby 3.4% between 2010 and 2011 (comparedto an average growth of 0.4% across allsectors)3;

• The retail sector is a significant outsourcer– retailers purchase around £180 billionworth of good for resale every year, andsupports £47 billion of output from othersectors such as construction andtransport4;

• The retail sector pays around £17.5 billioneach year in net VAT payments, NationalInsurance, PAYE and business rates5 and,crucially, is the principle route to marketfor many other sectors within the UK6.

It is therefore important to emphasise thatretail does matter in the Sheffield CityRegion, and never more so than at Christmas– during the last decade retail sales havejumped by an average of 60% duringDecember alone7.

The Christmas markets organised by councils,the Christmas lights at Meadowhall, anddiverse range of innovative independentretailers will all contribute to the SheffieldCity Region’s magical retail offer thisChristmas and will play an invaluable rolein establishing the Region as the Retail Hub ofthe North.

Keep your stories coming in, and I hope youenjoy this edition of Retail Matters.

Ann CadmanVice Chair of the Sheffield City Region RetailForum and Director of The Source SkillsAcademy

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council’ssupportive approach to town centre businessdevelopment and its commitment to helpestablish and grow new and existing small andmedium sized enterprises’ within both thedaytime and evening economy has helpedBarnsley to buck the trend.

Mr Peter Birkby, Town Centre Executive Chairsaid, “Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Councilprovide a pro-active town centre team forbusiness support to enhance new and existingbusinesses as well as for the customer.”

Mr Ben Dixon Manager of Joseph Bramahs,Wetherspoon agrees that these are the reasonswhy Barnsley has bucked the trend. “As afounder member of the Evening EconomyForum, I have worked closely with the BMBC

Town Centre Development Manager and thetown centre management team and they havealways been actively supportive and veryinformative. They work well as a team and havestrived to help and work with both the day andevening economy which I find refreshing andunique from other towns and cities that I haveworked in”.

Chris Barton, Market Trader is currentlyexpanding one business and opening two newventures, totalling three new units within thetown centre whilst still maintaining hissuccessful market stall. Chris says, “The BMBCTown Centre Team understand the needs ofretailers, and provide realistic advice overheadsand this support has given me the confidenceto grow my business.”

No wonder Barnsley was recently mentioned inthe Daily Mirror as “The finest market in theCounty”.

Barnsley town centre is leading the way on vacant ground floor retail unitnumbers with an average of 4.4% compared to a national average of11.1%.

Barnsley Bucking the trendFrom Cllr Roy Miller, Barnsley Council Cabinet Member for Development Environment and Culture

1European Institute for Urban Affairs: Benchmarking Sheffield, 2007 – Appendix 1, p1112-6UK Retail: Leading Globally, Serving Locally, 2012 p5

7Centre for Retail Research: Christmas 2012http://www.retailresearch.org/shoppingforxmas.php

02


Firstly, credit for my knowledge must go tothose involved in the retail industry in our CityRegion who are never slow to tell me whatthey know and what they think! I hope I am agood listener. I do know that it is the singlelargest private sector employer in the country,and the second largest in my city of Sheffield. Ido know that it is not just about shops andshopping. 12% of total UK investment intraining comes from the retail sector.

I am aware that it is a very entrepreneurialsector with 45% employed in companies withless than 25 employees. That is an even higherfigure when you look at our own region. I alsoknow that it is a sector that has grown and willgrow. In the first decade of this century itsgrowth rate far outstripped the average for thewhole economy, and despite the troubledtimes in which we live it is projected to have anannual growth rate of 2.7% up to 2020. Andlastly, if you put aside the fairly obvious buying

of goods from suppliers for resale, retail alsosupports £47 billion of output from othersectors.

So why should a local authority be interestedin retail? Well clearly there is the fairly obviousjobs opportunity that it brings. But it isn’t justabout that. Retail helps make a place. It definescharacter, it provides vibrancy, it servicescommunities and it attracts visitors.Conversely, without retail, much of that willnot happen. There is also though an emergingnew opportunity which is to service the retailsector with innovation and to start tocapitalise on the emerging trend of bringingmanufacturing back to the UK. Already we haveseen some of the biggest retail groups in theUK increasing the number of British factoriesthat they use for the supply of goods.

So, done right, with the right support and withthe right ambition, retail can be a classic

economic opportunity that brings jobs, valuesinnovation, needs a supply chain and helpsmake a place. However, like any opportunitywe have to recognise that the present iscertainly unfinished business. We have someabsolute retail stars like Meadowhall. We have,if we are to put it kindly, some opportunitiesstill to be realised. I am up for the challenge, Ithink by definition the readers of this magazinewill be up for it. That’s not a bad starting point.


The Importance of retail to our region

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]

Local authorities are big organisations involved in lots of things. Given allthat we do, it would not be unreasonable to speculate as to what on earthdo we know about retail and why does retail matter to us? So, what do Iknow about retail?

From John Mothersole, Chief Executive at Sheffield City Council

Business and council leaders from across theSheffield City Region came together in earlySeptember to discuss what is needed tostimulate economic growth and create jobsover the next decade.

The Local Enterprise Partnership invitedbusiness and council leaders from Barnsley,Bassetlaw, Bolsover, Chesterfield, DerbyshireDales, Doncaster, North East Derbyshire,Rotherham and Sheffield to identify the keyfuture priorities for the Sheffield City Region.Representatives from the Retail Sector Groupmade sure that the views of the retail industrywere given the attention they deserve. Thesector group was represented at the event bySector Group Chairman Robert Lane (LaneWalker Property Limited) and Vice-Chair AnnCadman (The Source). Ann has been selectedby the Sector Group to represent the retailsector on the LEP’s Growth Plan SteeringGroup. Meadowhall Centre Director DarrenPearce also attended the event and represents

the sports, leisure and tourism sector on theLEP’s Growth Plan Steering Group.

James Newman, LEP Chairman, said, “This wasan incredibly positive event which shows thesignificant scale of ambition of leaders in theSheffield City Region. It is clear that leadersfrom the public and private sector are keenlycommitted to working together to createeconomic growth and jobs for our City Region.”

The Retail Sector Group was established by theLocal Enterprise Partnership in 2008 torepresent the views of the retail industry. Retailis estimated to be worth over £1.6 billion to theSheffield City Region, and it is one of thebiggest employers with a workforce of 79,000people, so the LEP was very interested in whatRobert Lane and Ann Cadman had to say.

The vision of the Retail Sector Group is ‘todevelop the Sheffield City Region as thepremier shopping area of choice in the Northof England… realised by developing a national

reputation for diversity of offer, dynamism, andexcellent customer service’. The UKGovernment has asked the LEP set out theeconomic ambitions for the local area by thedeadline of January 2014. Through its GrowthPlan, the Sheffield City Region will competewith other UK areas for powers and funding tobe handed down by Government.

For more information on the Local EnterprisePartnership, Sector Groups and the GrowthStrategy, visit www.sheffieldcityregion.org.uk

Local leaders from across the private and public sector are currentlyworking together on important plans to ensure that the Sheffield CityRegion’s economy grows and creates jobs in the future.

An update on the retail sector groupFrom Dr Ruth Adams, Growth Strategy Director for the Sheffield City Region Executive Team

03


Festive preparations inChesterfield and SheffieldChesterfield is set for a bumper Christmasperiod with the reopening of the historicMarket Hall after a £4 million redevelopment.The town centre also boasts an impressivenumber of award-winning independentretailers offering gifts, jewellery, chocolate,tea and coffee as well as real ales. This year’sChristmas lights switch-on event takes placeon Sunday 24 November at 5pm in the towncentre market place and features pantomimestars from the Pomegranate Theatre, andcustomers will be able to buy presents at aspecial Christmas Market from 1 to 5pm.

Councillor John Burrows, ChesterfieldBorough Council's leader and vice-chairmanof Destination Chesterfield says, “We arepleased to welcome back familiar faces to theMarket Hall. All traders from the old MarketHall have been offered space, and we havealso been able to offer space to several newlocal traders. The Market Hall offerscustomers an excellent choice of food fromorganisations such as Davidson's Cheese

Factor, who now sell their own cheeses madeat Hartington Creamery, including PeaklandBlue (similar to blue Stilton) and PeaklandWhite with cranberries and orange peel. TheHall is also home to an award winning butchers,Meadowfresh, who offer fresh Derbyshirebutterfly turkeys and a selection of pies andhampers.

“Customers will have the opportunity to seethe new hall for themselves at the annualmarkets festival which is taking place fromThursday 31 October to Saturday 2 November,with a variety of different local produce andgift ideas on our open-air market as well as theCAMRA beer festival in the Market Hall. And ifcustomers are tired after all that shopping, theycan try out the new café, run by a local start-up business which offers apprenticeships tolocal youngsters.”Plans are also taking shape for The Moor inSheffield, which will once against be part ofthe biggest day in the city’s festive calendar.Over 35,000 people are expected to turn outto see Sheffield sparkle and enjoy the greatvariety of music, street performances andchildren’s activities. This year’s festive seasonwill include the opening of the new MoorMarket in November, delivering 195 stalls andeight new retail units to the famous Sheffieldshopping street as part of ongoingimprovements by Scottish Widows InvestmentPartnership. Sandra Barley, Centre Liaison Manager for TheMoor, said: “Christmas is always a fantastic timeto be on the Moor and we are looking forwardto hosting a host of activities and events aspart of the city’s light switch on including avisit from Father Christmas and his reindeers,live nativity, children's activities and giveaways.This year will be a particularly exciting time forus with the opening of the new market buildingand I’m sure there will be a great buzz and realfestive spirit all along the Moor as the streetcontinues to evolve and offer shoppers an evenbetter retail experience.”

04


Ding, dong merrily on high theSheffield City Region tills are ringing!It is impossible to overstate the importance of retail activity to the Sheffield City Region economy during theChristmas period. The Office for National Statistics estimates that average weekly spend across all retailing inthe UK during December 2012 was £8.5 billion, compared with an average weekly spend of £6.8 billion duringthe previous months of the year1.

Councillor John Burrows, Chesterfield Borough Council's Leader andVice-Chairman of Destination Chesterfield

This additional retail activity helps to stimulate growth, create jobs, grow independent business and attract retailers to the area. Here we delve alittle further into what makes Christmas in the Sheffield City Region so special, and talk to councils, shopping centres and retailers about their plansfor the festive season.



Christmas at Meadowhall - the Centre employs up to 7,000 staff duringthe Christmas periodDarren Pearce, Centre Director at Meadowhall

Christmas at MeadowhallDarren Pearce, Centre Director at MeadowhallComments: “Christmas is a really exciting timeat Meadowhall Shopping Centre - and this yearis no exception! As a team we start to plan forChristmas as early as March: we know thatpreparation is key in giving shoppers a trulymagical experience. “As a Centre we employ up to 7,000 staffduring the festive season to help service the 6million shoppers that come through the doorsduring December. From 28th October we willbe open for an extra hour between Mondayand Friday, giving our retailers the opportunityto trade for longer, and giving our customersmore choice about the times they can shop. “The Meadowhall Light Switch On concert,attended by over 15,000 people, traditionallymarks the start of Christmas for Meadowhall.We have hosted some of the country’s bestknown music artists over the past few yearsand, once again, have a sensational line upplanned for 7th November this year… furtherinformation will be released on theMeadowhall website in due course!“This year’s Meadowhall Christmas Grotto willrun between 14th November and 24thDecember – and is set to be our greatest ever,

complete with an incredible external lightshow.The Centre’s new decorations, introduced onlylast year; 12,000 free car parking spaces forshoppers; our recently refurbished Oasis DiningQuarter and one of the best retail line upsoutside London, including Victoria Secrets; TheLego Store and TK MAXX are just a few morereasons to put Meadowhall on your Christmaslist this year! We look forward to welcomingyou soon.”

Christmas planning atindependent retailer GroundedCoffeeChristmas is a critically important time forretailers. Research released by the Centre forRetail Research in 2012 found that Novemberand December accounted for an average of 21%of annual retail sales between 2001 and 20122 .Yet a successful Christmas period requiresmeticulous planning, nowhere more so than atGrounded Coffee, an independent retailerbased at The Lanes in Meadowhall.

After a decade working within the coffeeindustry, and having progressed from cleaningtables at Cafe Revive to co-ordinating KrispyKreme’s central London training function, ChrisLeslie-Shaw bought Grounded Coffee inSeptember 2012 with his business partner andlong term friend Anthony March. With a passionfor coffee, and a love of the retail industry, theiraims were simple – to become the premieroutlet for speciality coffee in the Sheffield CityRegion, and provide customers with the abilityto make barista style coffee in the comfort oftheir own homes. One year on, having nearlydoubled the store’s turnover, Chris talks aboutthe importance of getting the preparation forthe vital Christmas period spot on.

“The Christmas period is absolutely crucial toour success as a business, accounting for a largeproportion of our turnover throughout theyear. We sold 1,000 cups of coffee per weekbetween September and December 2012, and afurther six metric tonnes of grounded coffee in

over 50 different blends. To put that inperspective, the weight of the grounded coffeesold was the equivalent of two fully grownAsian elephants!

“Anthony and I sat down to prepare forChristmas 2013 on Boxing Day last year,analysing the respective sales of differentproduct lines and considering feedback fromcustomers and members of staff to identifywhere we could improve. We have beengrowing our stock gradually since March,investing a sizable proportion of our profitseach month on items which sell particularlywell during the Christmas period such ascafetieres.

“We have also been carefully monitoring our storagespace throughout the year. As a relatively smallretailer, an empty cupboard is the equivalent of anempty warehouse for a large retailer. But by workinghard to use our storage space efficiently during theyear, we have ensured that we can bring in additionalstock at Christmas and take advantage of theincreased footfall at Meadowhall during this period.

“Last year we recruited two temporarymembers of staff during the Christmas period,both of whom were previously volunteering atFirst Steps Trust, a charity which provides longterm unemployed people from disadvantagedbackgrounds with meaningful work experience.It was fantastic to see their confidence grow asthey became used to dealing with customers inour fast paced work environment, particularlyas I had worked at the charity for four yearsand saw first hand the often devastating impactof long term unemployment. Both members ofstaff secured permanent positions at Grounded

Coffee and are an integral part of ourpreparations for this Christmas, and I amdelighted that we have utilised our growth tobenefit the local community in this way.

“It is now one year since I first opened thedoors on our store and I am incredibly proud athow we have grown and really excited aboutwhat the upcoming Christmas period and thefollowing 12 months will hold. Meadowhallopened when I was a six year old living inBarnsley and my family used to think of theCentre as a fantastic day out. It is amazing tothink that I now own a successful independentshop there and, whilst the Christmas periodmay be incredibly hard work, I wouldn’t have itany other way.”

1Office for National Statistics, Retail Sales Data, 2012http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rsi/retail-sales/index.html

2Centre for Retail Research: Christmas 2012.http://www.retailresearch.org/shoppingforxmas.php

Chris Leslie-Shaw and Anthony March, owners of Grounded Coffee

05



I originally purchased a Red Iron from a well known retailer for a knock down price of £30,and proudly took it home to tackle the ever rising mountain of ironing by the loungewindow which was gradually depriving my husband and I of natural light. Yet when Iopened the box, I discovered an iron so bright in colour it was immediately apparent thatcontinuous use would prove difficult.

A few days later, having found a more suitable iron at a local shop, I ventured back to thestore to exchange the iron and quickly settled on a couple of beautiful china mugs which Ifelt would make a lovely present. Yet when I got to the counter to complete theexchange, the sales assistant placed her finger in the water hole of my returned iron.

‘This Red Iron’, she said, ‘has been used’.

‘I’m sorry?’ I said, initially unable to comprehend the insinuation.

‘This Red Iron’, she repeated, ‘has been used. The water hole is damp’.

As I had not used the iron I felt rather stunned, but dipped my finger into the waterhole to discover that it was indeed damp. I suggested that perhaps we shouldunpack another iron, by means of comparison, and after two minutes of dippingour fingers in and out of irons I began to wonder whether I was being recordedfor a television programme. The Two Ronnies certainly came to mind, as didOpen All Hours. After repeating that I had not used the iron, the assistantsummoned her duty manager, who also started dipping his finger in and outof the water holes of the irons on the counter.

By now I had lost all patience – this was one of the worst displays ofcustomer service I had experience in 25 years of working in the retailindustry. Eventually the duty manager agreed to sanction the exchangeyet I left the store feeling disappointed and frustrated. I relayed thestory several times during the day, finding the experience increasinglyhilarious, and several people suggested that the dampness hadperhaps arisen during manufacturing. Following confirmation fromthe manufacturer that they batch test irons with water, I returnedto the store (letter in hand) and finally received an apology.

Yet whilst the episode left me with an excellent anecdote, I alsofelt frustrated and less inclined to re-visit the store, where I hadbeen a customer for over a decade. The experience broughthome to me again the importance of always providing excellentcustomer service, and has strengthened my resolve to promotecustomer service through Retail Matters, to help businesses

grow and to help the Sheffield City Region achieve status as theRetail Hub of the North.

We look forward to updating you on customer service initiatives in the next issue...

The Red IronSince the launch of Retail Matters earlier this year I have been inspired by stories of organisations across theregion embedding excellent customer service as part of the fabric of their businesses, and have been delightedto see the growth which this has helped them to achieve. Yet last month I was inspired in a very different way.Let me tell you the story of the Red Iron.

Ann Cadman

06



Based in The Imperial Buildings in Rotherham, The Button Tin is athrowback to an earlier age, full to the brim with jam jars and old rustytins full of buttons, old tin rocking horses, vintage newspapers andsewing machines from as early as the 1870’s and pieces of Gemma’s art,lovingly created from vintage fabrics. Even the soundtrack is fromanother time as all tunes are played from Gemma’s pretty green Dansetterecord player.

The Button Tin is Gemma's bubble, an installation art piece from anothertime where Gemma runs weekly workshops helping people to stitch andcreate their own pieces of textile art. Gemma also works inside herButton Tin studio on various textile commissions ranging from fabriccovered pianos and gallery showcases to wedding bouquets and buttonholes. By collecting, caring for and re-using vintage materials, Gemma’sart creates a nostalgic feel from things she relates to in other people’shistory, challenging the concept of kitsch by creating fusions of colourand texture from original 1940’s and 1950’s aprons, bloomers, pillowcases, dresses, vintage lace and, of course, grandmas buttons. Here shetalks about the joy of owning the Button Tin, and her plans for thefuture.

Gemma says: “It has now been over three years that I have been here inmy little Button Tin. I have some amazing memories and stories andmost importantly met so many amazing people here. Classes have beenrunning into the hundreds and are still going strong, attracting peoplefrom all over the UK. I think of The Button Tin as a little alter to allthings nostalgic and sentimental, re-igniting memories and stories ofplaying with Grandma’s quality street button tin as a child, tipping thebuttons out and sorting them into colours.

“All the materials which I use contain a wealth of social history, behindevery swatch of reclaimed colourful patterned fabric and beautifullyformed button is a lost story from another time and place, a hiddennarrative that the truly discerning can discover and appreciate. I love theradiant honesty of those materials, and the way in which vintage textileart and scraps of memories can be sewn together with love and care tocreate individual works of personal art which bring such happiness to thepeople who visit to buy them.

One such visitor was former Mayoress of Rotherham Lisa Wright, who,following a ‘wonderful afternoon’ at The Button Tin, said of Gemma,“You are such a special person and a real talent; you are a credit toRotherham. I am sure you will go from strength to strength. You are atrue inspiration. Thank you.”

Praise indeed. So what are Gemma’s plans for the future? “I have decidedto plan the next stages of this mini-button adventure. I have always haddreams of touring the country in magical Button Tin caravan, exhibitingin amazing galleries and sharing this magical joy with the rest of thecountry. The Button Tin is there to stay, but I want to make sure peoplefrom across the country can come inside the bubble, escape reality for aday and, as one of my customers said, ‘fall down a rabbit hole and endup in Grandma’s house’”.

For more information on The Button Tin, visitgemmanemer.blogspot.co.uk

Photography from Georgina Humphrey

Falling down the rabbit hole andending up in Grandma’s houseInspired by memories of playing with Grandma’s Button Tin as a child, and driven by the notion of finding andcaring again for something discarded and lost, Gemma Nemer set up The Button Tin in 2010.

07


08


We have Apprenticeships available in:

• Retail• Customer Service• Marketing• Administration

• Warehousing• Management• Hospitality

“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 4

Documents