News

Wednesday 16 May 2007

Fashion outlets to benefit from new retail project

Small fashion outlets in need of a business boost are being urged take advantage of expert retail advice as part of a new Nottingham Trent University project. Experts in the University’s Nottingham Business School are looking for at least six East Midlands’ businesses to take part in Winning at Retail, which aims to guide small retailers towards competitiveness.

The six month project offers a detailed business review, action plans and specialist mentoring.

“We’re targeting small retailers in provincial towns and villages as well as those in the niche areas of city centres, like Derby’s cathedral quarter, Uphill in Lincoln, and Hockley in Nottingham”, said Lynn Oxborrow, Senior Lecturer in Marketing Retail and Operations at the University.

The project involves a three-stage business review whereby retail advisors would visit each month to explore issues such as shop floor standards, staff and sale skills, buying and merchandising, systems and marketing, and stock.

This will be followed by in-depth mentoring and support which will focus on implementing improvements. Mentors will work with managers and their teams to improve standards, develop a strategy, and look for news ways to move the business forward within its resource constraints.

Lynn Oxborrow said: “Bringing in an objective advisor is a good way of holding up a mirror to your business and encouraging you to make long-awaited changes. Our expert project team of experienced retailers will try to ensure that benefits are achieved, whether it be in terms of staff skills and motivation, customer base, new products, services or systems.”

She added: “We would like to ask retailers to propose themselves, or customers to put forward retailers who are good at what they do but have the potential to take on new ideas.”

Anyone wanting to take advantage of this opportunity can contact Lynn Oxborrow directly at Nottingham Business School on +44 (0)115 848 6048, or via email.

ENDS

Notes for editors: Winning at Retail is supported by the East Midlands Development Agency and the GO-FAST project, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund to provide knowledge, good practice and expertise for textiles-related businesses.

Press enquiries please contact: Dave Rogers, Press Officer, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8782, or via email or Therese Easom, Press and Media Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8774, or via email.