An insight into what makes South West business Wellworths successful.
Transcript:
I started this business because I was originally a Woolworth's Manager and obviously Woolworth's went into administration and closed in early 2009. This store was always a good store and was quite profitable, so we just decided that we should really try and do something ourselves. I didn't know what else I was going to do so why not try and do something very similar but to a more local need so that's what we did.
Over the last year, or just over a year now, we've expanded our ranges. We've brought in children's clothing. We've brought in entertainment products and just generally brought in a lot more products from when we opened with sort of 20/30 suppliers, up to now about 70, so just constantly changing.
There's been lots of challenges along the way, you know, whether that's making the wrong decision about stock, getting the wrong amounts, not getting enough, getting too much, just keeping the cash flow going all the time. There's been plenty of challenges but, to be honest, we just have to overcome them and just keep going and keep continuing and learn from those challenges and not try and do it again next time.
Being able to run my own business has meant that we can make decisions very quickly. We can react extremely quickly to whether it's the weather, whether its just a customer need, the seasons, you know, we're just ... I feel I'm not being tied by what Head Office are telling me to do. By being able to run this myself I'm very much able to make a decision on the spot if I need to, and if I want to make a decision that's gonna happen next week, I can, and that's so much better for me, you know, its been a real sort of release being able to do this.
I think the best decision was probably deciding to do this, you know, people ask me did I do the right thing, yes, absolutely I did.
I mean there's always something new that we're bringing in and that's really good -- just being able to bring a new product in. For example the children's clothing. Just being able to have the customers tell us that we want the product and being able to get it for them is really satisfying because you know you are doing it for the people of the town.
I think what we try and do here, and that people can try and learn from is that we really listen to the customers and get the customers to talk to us. We have a suggestions box so if they have anything that they want to tell us then they can leave the suggestions with us.
Then it is just about the reacting and making sure that we do communicate with them and yes just keeping up with what going on. Out in the Highstreet -- you know just walking up and down the Highstreet and seeing what everyone else is doing. And talk to other retailers too about what they're doing and you can glean a lot of information by doing that.
I think the business here at Wellworths is quite unique because there isn't many; there aren't many general retailers like us that are able to be so reactive.
The fact that we are able to make decision straight away, the fact that we do try and listen to our customers which I think a lot of corporate companies think they do but because they are trying to incorporate people from all round the country rather than just a specific area that does make a difference.
We're trying to listen to our local customers rather than trying to do something for the whole country.
I think the top tips I would give is to listen to people. If you can't find what you need then ask. You know, I know that I don't know everything and I have to ask people and whether that's for help or whether that's just for advice, there are plenty of people that know and can help you out there. You don't have to do everything on your own.
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Wellworths rises and opens from the ashes of Woolworths in Dorchesterby UKEconomy1,505 views
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