Masterclass: is your store ready for a right royal knees-up?

What are you doing to maximise sales during the Queen’s Jubilee weekend?

Sanjeev Vadhera: “There’s huge potential in the Jubilee for us and we’re working hard behind the scenes to make sure our retailers maximise this potential. In every category we’re looking at how to promote ‘Britishness’. We’ve started putting in Best of British ranges in a number of our stores, featuring British suppliers and definitely not your standard fare. We’ve really pushed the boundaries into premium ranges in a few stores. In stores with more difficult demographics we are partnering with more mainstream brands like Cadbury.”

Guy Warner: “It’s pretty incomparable in terms of knowing what the Jubilee will bring. We think it will be like another Easter in terms of the length of the holiday and we’re gearing up for it in store with Jubilee displays and by stocking everything you might need for a Jubilee party in the month leading up to it to make sure it’s firmly in the minds of our customers.”

Jonathan James: “We’re having a real celebratory theme during the Jubilee. We have an in-store butcher who will be running a hog roast in the grassed area in front of one of our stores, for example, and we are just trying to generate a great party. The staff will be dressing up in red white and blue. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Last year’s Royal Wedding was a bit of a damp squib for indies (49% told The Grocer the event had no positive impact on sales). What’ll be different with this year’s royal celebrations?

Sanjeev Vadhera: “The problem with the Royal Wedding last year was that independent retailers just weren’t geared up for it. The multiples did it really well but the independents just didn’t plan or budget for it enough. It’s about much more than just promoting. We have bunting, shelf stripping, hanging boards and gondola ends - it’s much more of a full-on approach. The execution is key. Independents do not always execute well. We all need to raise our game.”

Bank holidays can be a double-edged sword for retailers. What are the challenges and how can they be overcome?

Jonathan James: “Bank holidays for the supermarket side of the business are not great - going shopping tends to be the last thing on people’s minds. But if it’s hot, people will be coming in and stocking up on barbecue products. On the other hand, on the petrol station side of the business people do tend to travel a lot on bank holidays so we do see more business there.”

Guy Warner: “A four-day bank holiday weekend is a massive opportunity. You have to make sure you are getting the right level of stock and you are gearing up for it in store and preparing people for it. Good weather or bad weather, there will always be an uplift during a bank holiday, but it depends on the weather which categories will benefit. It would be nice to think we will sell more barbecue goods but looking out of the window now, that doesn’t seem very likely.”

Sanjeev Vadhera: “The problem with bank holidays can be your exit strategy. If you buy too much stock you can have a problem getting rid of it. Success on a bank holiday is all about how you plan in advance and execute that strategy. If you are willing to put in the extra resources in terms of hours you shouldn’t have a problem. We don’t have problems on bank holidays. We do very well because we plan and make sure we execute it well.”