Cornwall Retail Network

Has it been that long?

I've just checked the stat page for my blog and noticed that its accessed on average 7.03 times per day. I think thats a lot! and I'm pleased. But I really did or should appologise for my lack of blogging over the last month. Its been so hectic here and I really have been running around left right and centre trying to get things done. Currently there is an immensely annoying man with a chain saw, endeavoring to do something to his side of the 12ft high garden hedge, while I appreciate his enthusiasm (I won't be getting up there) I really could do with some peace and quite, to at least think about what I'm doing this afternoon, and on current analysis, with chain saws, an incessant ringing phone and a stream of unanswered emails with the current top of the list reading "new weight management classes", I'm not entirely sure that anything this afternoon will be of much worth to the continuation of blogging or anything else for that matter....
And perhaps this is the problem, noise. There is always a new story, craze, or hype in the media, that runs through the businesses world, half the time there is so much media noise its hard to see where the real messages stop and start. But the recent announcement by the prime-minister to scrap our favoured plastic carriers, cannot have escaped our hearing, and while it may have come no surprise to those of us who have already spent out on purchasing sustainable shopping bags, we are more likely to add to the noise momentum by mouthing "I told you so" to our husbands, partners, wives or girl friends as we pat ourselves on the back for our forward sightedness. While the unassuming consumer who has perhaps always felt that stores like Lidals have been somewhat behind the times in their lack of bag usage, will now have to begin to look at the ways that they carry, hold, move and collect their shopping. Perhaps even harder will be the blow on those retailers who have just reordered or stocked up on this years supplies of branded bags, and likewise will no doubt prove a challenge to the companies currently producing 'carriers' to become more environmentally friendly. Part of me wonders if it was really necessary for technology to take us around in circles and I'm sure that lots of you will remember the shopping bags your mothers had, with separate compartments for meat, milk and veg, all within the same reusable bag, that often lasted for life. I wonder if in a few years time some scientist will measure the impact that several billion tones of plastic in landfill has had on our future and will relay some depressing figure masked in some type of noise that lets the next generation know exactly what a mess our generation have left as a legacy.
And its with a somewhat sober mind I come to think about convergence. This months Business Cornwall mag has on its front cover "counting on convergence". You can I think look at this in two ways, are we counting on convergence to leave a legacy of self? or are we counting on convergence to help our economy, our businesses and our workers work better, harder and smarter for the good of future generations, and perhaps as this is our last chance, my generation too. I haven't I hasten to mention read the article yet, but I get the feeling that less is more, is where this round of European money is coming from, less small projects more things that will only increase our 'knowledge based economy' as a point of reference from the Lisbon agenda. And yes there are different strands, in fact here there are four, one of which, all 13 sectors will fit, helping our businesses and in this case retail invest in skills training and development that is demand led. But behind all the noise, and promise, what is it really that we are aiming for? Is scrapping plastic bags going to save the planet? In isolation no, is convergence going to 'save' Cornwall in terms of our underperforming economy, remembering the reason that we qualify for convergence is not because we are a small county but because our GVA is less than 75% of the EU average. Probably not in the way we would expect it too. I guess what I'm trying, poorly, to get at is that it is very easy to push things aside, add another sheet to the already mounting paper trail, procrastinate about the use of bags and plastic, rejoice because the region, once again, is several million pounds richer, and claim that this is the answer to all our problems... and while we are talking and suggesting and waiting for businesses to come and demand of us, suddenly the program is finished the pots empty and we are back at the beginning with a different set of noisy interruptions filling evaluation forms and account sheets.... This is our chance to demonstrate and bring about a new culture of learning, if only we can find the right types of noise and the right medium for dispersal to tell businesses all about it.....

When the sun comes out....

Its always a bit of chore to get up and start your day on those cold winter mornings, feeling your way across a cold floor in bare feet to reach the bathroom, pulling faces at yourself as you look in the mirror, wondering what you could have possibly done last night to look half as bad as you do this morning, and finally getting dressed and into the kitchen for that life saving mug of tea to be met by the dark, damp mornings that resemble winter.... Thankfully, we have had a run of the most beautiful weather I can remember for February, and yes this is still February! Not to mention a run of fairly lucky breaks with the surf conditions, and perhaps its not every year that Valentines day falls in the midst of all these other joyous things. But I know that when the sun shines at any time of year it puts me in the mood for picnics, and perhaps a little romance, here and there.
In the retail world valentines day is up there with Halloween, Christmas and Easter, because for some reason, under the constraints of social pressure and all in the name of 'love', we splash out on cards, chocolate, perfume, dinners, flowers, romantic keep sakes and other such gifts to give to our loved one on the 14th of February. I must admit, that currently I'm rather disorganised, I have no card, no flowers ordered, no sweet verse to whisper into my other half's ear, and to be honest I'm not quite sure that such flamboyant displays are where I'm at with my romantic inclinations! I'm more of a disconcerting client, I want something a little different this year, and the next, and I'm gauging that unless I use a little creative flair, there won't be much on the market to satisfy my needs. Maybe that's a hole in the valentines market? or maybe its a suggestion that my romantic ideas are a little off the beaten track. What ever the conclusion, I'm still not getting serviced by the industry, customers won't necessarily have the time to look for you, or the something a little bit different you might have in mind, I certainly don't, what I want is someone to do that for me.
So if tomorrow, I'm a little empty handed, I will probably run to the garage, get a quick card and some flowers, a bar of Galaxy and a bike magazine and present my little offering, in some sort of red wrapping and be done for this year, but if there is anyone else like me who could have spent a small fortune on something different but didn't know where to look, well I guess that 's the markets fault. Lets hope next year retail moves on a little from the red ribboned 'I Love You', and puts a little romance back into valentines day....

UCP and Retail

Download newsletter_retail_01_08_pdf.pdf

A little bit of Winter Sun

Having spent the last few months pontificating about holidays, I find myself wondering as I seem to every month about the quality of what’s on offer and the ability of those in the ‘know’ to deliver something that is suitable for their clients.

Yesterday, amongst doing several other things, which were far more successful, like the redesign of the blog, which I hope all regular readers will like, I went to the travel agent, something I have never done before, in the hope of at least getting some good advice about a holiday.  I’m always a little suspicious of travel agents, because I’m not your typical tourist or holiday maker.  I’ve spent a considerable amount of time traveling around without the back up of bags of cash, and I like the real, in all the meanings of the word, of people and places.  Put simply that probably equates to a travel agents idea of a night mare customer, someone who is not just going to by a package holiday with a pool, bar and nightlife, which may be a miss conception of that type of holiday on my part, and if so I appologise, but I hope you catch my drift.

Anyway, what actually happened was the agent talked specifically to my partner, who was asking all the questions, while I sat at the desk making excuses for why I disliked this or the timing was wrong, or that place wasn’t warm enough.  Give the agent her due, she was fairly helpful and tried to be pleasant, but of course we are traveling in prime time, due to the Easter holidays, and things would be expensive and plane seats would be in demand….. A holiday to the canaries, for the price of a holiday to the

Caribbean

does not inspire me, or my pocket, but it did get me thinking about transactions.

What is it that a customer service person and I’m talking here about any one in a customer facing role, weather that be a gym instructor, a bank manager, a super market till operator or a train ticket conductor, what is it that they actually sell?  Is it a ticket or a mortgage, or is it themselves?  Part of me thinks that one of the reasons that I didn’t get enthused about any of the offers the travel agent put on the table, was because I didn’t believe that she really felt anything about any of the places she was discussing, and I knew that as far as holidays go we would have extremely different tastes.  If I had gone to buy a shirt from, Cult Clothing for example, or more locally from one of the small independents like Front Room, I would have received an honest opinion from the staff there about what would suit me, not what would suit them.  This is part of their service and also part of their success. I value their opinion, even though their personal tastes are probably different, I appreciate as do they that I am the buyer and they are the facilitator.

Holidays are a very individual buy, and therefore perhaps require a very individual sell and good facilitation.  Car sales men perhaps have the edge on this, working hard to give the customer specifically what they want, perhaps some times edging on the verge of what they perceive customers might want, but still holding the ball park for facilitating sales.  I wonder sometimes when I’m doing my rounds and visiting towns and I see shops closing down, and prime retail locations with empty premises, whether the reason they are no longer in existence was because they had forgotten how to, or perhaps never perceived that us shoppers are fickle, and need to be coaxed out of our money.  I still need a holiday, I’m still a potential buyer, but am I really looking for a specific package, or just someone with the ability to sell me one. 

January... The dilemma of the Apple Mac.

I’m sitting in Starbucks, with a cup of luke warm tea, watching the world go by, deciding that this has not been my best ever visit to the world famous coffee house emporium.  There are a few suits huddled over an empty table in the corner, but the majority of visitors are shoppers and taking a presumptions stereotypical gamble, I bet the rest of the blue haired rabble with pants clearly visible and trousers half way around their posteriors, who just happen to be reading ‘The Guardian’, are students.  I’m trying to write this by hand, which apart from being remissible of my own student days, is proving quite a challenge, as my hand doesn’t seem to work as fast as my thought process, or as smoothly as I would like due to the cramp penetrating through my index finger, but that’s another story and hardly worth the type space.

As I’m sitting here, I can’t help think that even though the shops are advertising huge discounts, 40-50% in some places, the shopping centre is somewhat deserted for the time of year.  I’ve just visited the Mac Shop, with a few bit of plastic burning holes in my very shallow pockets, I’ve been drooling over the white and black slickness, that is completely representative of the apple brand, and I’m trying, quite mindfully, to decide whether to be sensible with the little bit of money I have and pay off a few bills, or take the plunge and buy what will probably, no undoubtedly be the best tool, the best addition to my life, since my significant other became significant.

Perhaps everyone like me is being a little cautious with their cash and are thinking the same.  Have I actually got it, do I want to spend it, should I really spend it on other things?  The answer?  Well I expect its dependant on self restraint.  But it also lies in the hands of the shop assistant.  Last time and to be truthful the first time I have visited the Exeter shopping centre, it was to look at Apple Mac’s, slightly obsessive, especially as it was just a few days before Christmas, but very necessary.  If I had been greeted with the same interest, enthusiasm, respect and knowledge this morning, I would now be sitting in Starbucks several hundred pounds worse off.  As it is, I find myself wondering if a Mac is really a necessity. 

Traders and retailers alike are already reporting under trading over the festive period, and I’m eagerly awaiting results on the January Sales this year, but I wonder what Apple would say to discover that perhaps it is their staff rather than their product, which ultimately lets them down, and how many other shoppers are getting wise to the fact that they are important and do command a high level of service and care. 

So I go back to musing, drifting around Starbucks, nursing the cold tea, wishing for a little bit of consistency in the world, at the same time, feeling rather glad that I’ve still got a little bit of cash in reserve for dog food.                 

FW: Workshop Invitation

-----Original Message----- From: Hannah Revell (Network Cornwall) [mailto:hannah@westcornwalltogether.org.uk]
Sent: 07 January 2008 04:42 To: jclake@cornwall-learning-partnership.org Subject: Workshop Invitation

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Dear Network Member

I am pleased to attach an invitation to our forthcoming workshop on January 17th 2008 at Helston Community College. The workshop will be facilitated by Solid Works and will centre around the use of 3D CAD technology within your business. The workshop will involve a short presentation followed by an opportunity to test the software for yourself in a practical session.

This is a fantastic opportunity to experience the latest technology and explore the benefits it could bring to your business. The workshop is FREE and will be an evening session 6pm - 8pm.

For more information and to reserve your place please call 01209 614070 or email hannah.revell@kerrier.gov.uk Places are limited so early booking is recommended and priority will be given to West Cornwall Business Network Members.

Regards
Hannah Revell West Cornwall Business Broker

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This message is generated from the Network Cornwall site. If you do not wish to receive Bulk emails from fellow Network Cornwall members, you can change this and other options by visiting: http://www.networkcornwall.net/preferences/ You will need to sign in and un-check the 'Receive bulk email?' option. To contact fellow members in this way, visit: http://www.networkcornwall.net/messaging/
Download 540407012008124020.pdf

Free Buisness Training

    Firstly a very happy new year to all frequent and new visitors.  After a very quiet christmas and New Year, its all hands on deck for the January sales, I have so far brought a fridge, taking full oppertunity of the £100's of pounds currently slashed from high street prices.  I hope it lasts longer than my last one!  Anyway, shops are not the only thing to have Janaury Sales, how about some free training, or an extra afternoons paid work to help with those Christmas bills?  If this sounds like your bag, please read on to find out more!

   

January 2008

Do you want to improve your business?  Do you want to improve your skills?  Would you like to get paid to help others improve theirs?  Then a scheme called Train to Gain may be the answer, it aims to fund employees and employers through training, and help to combat barriers such as cost and time.  It is a service designed to help businesses, like yours, get the training they need to succeed.  It is also the key for our future individually, as competition increases, and the need to better our own skills becomes evident.  One of the key goals of the service is to make sure that both the training and the skills advice are impartial, flexible, responsive, and offered at a time and place to suit businesses. This marks a cultural shift in how skills training will be delivered, and will ensure that the delivery of training is much more responsive to the needs of every business and individual.  Here is a quick summery of what is available: 

• Free training to help employees gain their first full Level 2 qualification and Skills for Life first numeracy and literacy qualification. This includes all training towards NVQ Level 2 or equivalent (equal to 5 GCSEs at Grade C or above), Skills for Life programmes, higher level skills and a wide range of other training for you or your staff.
• Wage compensation for companies with less than 50 employees.
• Funded programmes, including for Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships, NVQ Level 3 and above, such as higher education

If you are interested in learning more about how this scheme can help you and what the Retail Sector can offer in terms of support, or how you can become a learning champion helping to promote learning to others, and get paid in the process, please contact me on 07737772181 or by e-mail jclake@cornwall-learning-partnership.org

Christmas in the Capital

Well, what a hurricane of wind and rain, lights and sound constitutes the capital city at Christmas.  Office parties were well into their own, as restaurants and popular venues don signs saying sorry closed this evening for private function.  Groups of respectable suits, after dinner ware and heals all bundling into the eye for a private trip with a bottle of bubbly and huge smiles.  While I was having a little sight seeing trip myself, a man in the pod next to me was busy dropping to one knee to ask his girl to marry him…. From the shop windows, where in Selfridges you can find what looks like a diamond encrusted mini cooper, to the delights of a winter wonderland in Hyde park with mulled wine, German frankfurters, an alfresco ice rink and sparkly blue trees, the whole capital was buzzing with Christmas spirit. 

It’s been about six years since I’ve had time to wonder around London, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover how cosmopolitan it has become.  However, the real reason for my visit was the Skillsmart conference, to discuss the creation of SkillsAcademys.  I’ve been trying to upload the video with currently little success, but I will keep trying.

The meeting was positive, if not a little misplaced for the time of year, what with this being the busiest time for businesses.  The vision presented was ‘A one –stop shop for retail skills’.  To provide easy access to skills advice and support, a cost effective solution to recruitment, a comprehensive program of training and qualifications, pre employment training, promotion of retail as a career, and work experience opportunities.  Quite a lot to fit all under one roof.  But this is the concept in a nut shell.

Part of the concept has been delivered directly from the government in line with their 2013 aim to have all young people up to the age of 18 in education, and the rest is being put together by Skillsmart as a model for shops the length and breadth of the UK.

I will post more here when I get 10 mins… in the mean time I’m off to try and upload this video!!.....     

A wet end to November...

There are several things to talk about this month.  Those of you who are regular readers, I’m not sure that there is more than one, so a huge hello to you, will know that I try to blog monthly, perhaps I should also send it out as an attachment? 

Firstly, I’m not a big Christmas fan, I think I’ve mentioned that before, but I’ve just become hugely inspired by a site I’ve stumbled across on the web, http://www.timeout.com/london/christmas/features/3868/Christmas_shopping_guide.html its really well put together and constructed and makes it seem like London is a real community, spread over a huge area, which I think is an interesting thought in itself.  But its shopping remit is fantastic, where to go, at what times, to get what, even down to which streets have what lights.  It’s amazing to note the diversity from eco friendly bits of coloured metal, to funky retro balls sponsored by Nokia, it’s a really inspiring to see how different areas are approaching the Yule time season.  Perhaps next year Bodmin could think of some different approaches to Christmas lights, due to the extreme lack of help and interest in its (non existent) lights this year.  I’m off to

London for a few days next week so I will let you know how it all looks.  Plus I won’t be able to resist the draw of the winter wonderland set up in Hyde Park…..

… On a more local note the Totally Truro bid manager Neil has sent me a copy of

Truro's Christmas offer and it all looks really good, check it out, the PDF is attached. 

On a more, somewhat somber note, it’s with regret that I attended the funeral of David Lang, the Falmouth Town Centre Manager, recently.  David was one life’s little gems, and he will be sorely missed by lots of people, his input and enthusiasm for the retail development in Cornwall, and his determination and work in Falmouth will not be readily forgotten.  I will remember him best, for his love of eating cake, his incessant dislike of seagulls, or at least their mess, and his impeccable manners….

Download tt_christmas__uide_20_11_07_2.pdf

  To be continued...

Task and Finish Group Minutes November 22nd 2007

Date

22^nd November 2007

Subject

Cornwall Retail Skills Task and Finish Group minutes

Location

LSC

Truro

Present

Pam Cole, Clare Harris, Mel Colton Dyer, Jamie, Richard McClenaghan, John Wilkie, Matt Powell, Simon Robinson, Jacky Lowcock, Berryl Baily, Mel Colton Dyer, Will Boex, Jo Lake

Apologies

David Chadwick, Charlotte Chadwick, Sarah Newham, David Clewlow, Richard McClenaghan, Phillipa Collett, Tony Reynolds, James Agnew, Stephen Horscroft, Peter Mason, Cathy Whitmore, Barbara Ellenbroek, Hannah Revell, Dawn Eastley, Guy Thomas, Debbie Osborne, Neil Scott   

AGENDA

* Welcome and introductions * David Lang * Terms of Reference * Presentation by Jo Lake * AOB * Conclusion

Context

Pam Cole

checked the minutes of the last meeting for accuracy, and continued to set the context for the group.  The terms of reference were finalized formally and are now recorded as such.

Pam reiterated that her role within the group would gradually decrease as the group develops and drives its own agenda.  She also explained that she would need to take a ‘back seat’ in terms of convergence due to open and competitive tendering, and it was agreed formally that the learning partnership would lead on the sectors convergence bid. 

Pam Cole

explained that the coordinator had been working with and visiting a number of people to help inform work in context with convergence funding.  This has been necessary in order to take into account the different opinions and needs of the sector.  A subgroup consisting of town centre managers and employers had been integral to this work.  Pam pointed out that skills and training are the main drivers for the group, and it is out of these objectives that other benefits will become clear.   

David Lang

It was with much sadness that Pam informed the group of the sudden death of David Lang, the Falmouth Town Centre Manager.  David was a strong supporter of the development of a retail sector, and a key member of the task and finish group.  He was well liked and respected within the local community and will be sorely missed by those who new and worked with him.  Two minutes silence was requested in his memory.  A donation to the British Heart Foundation was made at his funeral on behalf of the group, and The Learning Partnership.   

Presentation by Jo

Lake

The coordinator gave a PowerPoint presentation on ideas concerning a model to take forwards under convergence funding.  The presentation generated a great deal of discussion, and it was generally agreed that the model proposed was acceptable, if the skills advisor and the specific retail advisor could be combined. 

Pam Cole

pointed out that there needed to be links to mainstream provision through business link and NextStep where relevant. 

It was suggested that the Skillsmart secret shopper model be adapted to suit the area in which it was to be used.  A similar project run in

Plymouth

found that this was a more effective way of ascertaining relevant information.  This is something that can be discussed when funding agreements have been finalised.  It was also suggested that it would be interesting to see how online trading arrangements would fit into the secret shopper survey, and perhaps Skillsmart could be consulted on this.    

It was also suggested that a list of criteria should be drawn up to decide which three areas the model will be piloted in.  In terms of coordinating the project, it was generally agreed that pilot areas should have relevant links i.e. shoppers card scheme, town centre managers, LAA, organised traders meetings, cooperative schools etc so that the pilot has a good chance of success, and lots of other things to link into.  Bodmin was mentioned as favored location, along with Camborne/Redruth,

Falmouth

and

Truro

.  The town criteria will be discussed in the next meeting.   

In terms of a kitemark, Matt Powell suggested that there could be different levels of kitemark, as there are with accommodation providers, this would then encourage towns to continue with skills development, but would also help areas that are not yet ready for complete integration, or whose town centers are currently being regenerated could also be marked but with a less stringent criteria.   

Mel Colton Dyer suggested that there should be relevant links formed with the union for retail USDAW.

Action: Coordinator to contact local union reps through Geoff Hayle, and to work on a set of critera for the convergence model.

Conclusion

Pam concluded the meeting and thanked everyone for their input.  She highlighted that any work undertaken would need to link into other mainstream activities such as T2G, and perhaps the development of learning champions in geographical areas would be a good way to test employer and business engagement.  She pointed out that it was important for the sector to have a vision for the future, and have strategies in place that would help to continue the legacy of sector engagement after convergence. 

Actions

The coordinator to complete the framework for the sector bid through The Learning Partnership for convergence. – Jo

Lake

The coordinator to develop criteria to help critique areas that have been highlighted as areas to run the pilot program.   – Jo

Lake

The coordinator to contact USDAW, and enable engagement with the project. – Jo

Lake

Date of next meeting- Tuesday 11^th March 2008, 2pm - LSC Truro

Meeting chair

Pam Cole

Minute taker

Jo

Lake

Date created

15 October 2007