Strategy

24 articles · Short, concrete write-ups on how to introduce and use the system — and what we learned about running a shop along the way.

On a worn wooden counter, a milky coffee in a white ceramic mug, beside it on a small plate a round, flour-dusted bread roll, in front of them an open lined notebook with a pencil; in the background, on old wooden shelves, preserving jars, paper bags and labelled packets

Strategy

What do people buy at the corner shop? The small-shop basket from morning to night

Bread, milk and a coffee in the morning, a sandwich at lunchtime, the onion missing from dinner in the evening, and at some point in the week a pack of batteries, because the remote has just died. The small-shop basket is small, but it says a lot about the neighbourhood. We walk through a day from behind the counter, look at the "missions" customers come in with, see what a simple worked example shows, and explain how to check all this in your own shop.

17 min read

In the corner of a shop, by the window, a wicker basket holding four large crusty loaves, above it a warm-glowing wall lamp with a shade, to the left empty wooden shelves with crumbs; beyond the window, in the blue evening half-light, a deserted winding street, terraced houses and a chalkboard sign set out on the pavement

Strategy

The post-Christmas slump: what to do in January when trade goes quiet

In early January, looking out from behind the counter, it feels as if something has broken: the December queues vanish and the mornings empty out. Nothing has broken — every shop goes through this. We show you how to measure from last January how big the dip will be, what to do with leftover festive stock, what sells at this time of year, and how to put the quiet weeks to good use.

17 min read

Through a small shop's misted window you can see the counter inside, with a clipboard holding a blank form and a pen, behind it shelves full of snacks, tins and fruit under a strip light; to the left of the glass a snowy pavement, street lamps and green traffic lights in the blue evening light

Strategy

Selling your shop: what is it worth, and how do you sell it at a good price?

Selling a shop doesn't start with an advert, but months earlier, with getting the figures in order. We show you how to estimate what your shop is worth with an example you can check, what raises and what lowers the price, how to prepare, who to tell and when, how to negotiate, and what to watch on handover day.

17 min read

A sheet of lined paper densely covered in handwriting, taped to the wall of a small shop's stockroom, and next to it a paper monthly calendar with empty days; on the left cardboard boxes on metal shelves, on the right the dark stockroom behind an open door

Strategy

Holiday opening hours for your shop: when, how long, with whom — and how customers find out

On holidays customers shop differently, deliveries pause, and your team deserves a rest too. We show you how to use last year's hourly takings to decide whether a holiday afternoon is worth opening, how to plan your staff, what to order before and after the closure, how to put up your opening hours, and what to watch on the first day after the holiday.

17 min read

An oak counter in a speciality shop in warm afternoon light: a cut wheel of cheese on a marble board on a lilac linen napkin, next to it three jars of coffee beans, a small jar of honey with a wooden honey dipper and an empty ceramic plate, in the background a blank chalkboard and wooden shelves full of jars, a large window on the right

Strategy

Gift packs and gift baskets in a small shop: putting them together, pricing, selling

Done well, the gift pack is one of a small shop's best-margin seasonal products: a few ready-made combinations, made of long-life goods, at a clear price. We go through which types of pack to start with, what should go in and what shouldn't, how to work out the price, how to wrap and display them, how to handle pre-orders and business orders, how many to make in advance, and what to do with whatever is left over.

17 min read

A small shop's counter in daylight: an old-style cash register and a clear lidded container at the edge of the dark counter, a handwritten note on the wall behind, through the large window on the left a blurred street and the wall of a building opposite, on the right in the background shelves full of boxes and goods

Strategy

Franchise or independent shop? The pros, cons and costs of joining a chain

Join a network or stay independent? We go through the four basic models, from the classic franchise through the buying group to the fully independent shop: what you get in return, what fees and compulsory costs come with it, what you give up, how much extra turnover you need for the fees to pay off, and what to check in the contract before you sign.

17 min read

A worn wooden counter in a small shop: on the left a small espresso machine and a tall stack of nested paper cups, on the right fresh croissants on baking paper on a metal tray, behind them shelves full of jars, boxes and bags, with morning light falling through the window on the left

Strategy

Products by the till: what to put next to the counter so impulse buys really pay

The half metre next to the till is the most valuable spot in the shop: the customer is about to pay and makes one last, quick decision. We go through which product groups work by the till, in what price band, in how much space, how often to swap them, how to suggest without being pushy — and how comparing two periods shows whether the counter really brings in more.

17 min read

The inside of a small shop seen through the open door: in front, a basket of fresh rolls and bread on a worn wooden table with a small white pot beside it, and shelves of jars, bottles and boxes running round the walls; low sunlight coming through the door casts a warm strip of light across the table and the edge of the counter, with old house fronts outside

Strategy

Atmosphere in the shop: light, music, scent and temperature that make customers want to stay

Customers don't think through what your shop's atmosphere is like — they simply feel it, and it makes them stay or hurry. We go through light, music, scent, temperature and noise, list the low-cost fixes, and show how to check in the average basket and the hourly number of sales whether a change actually made a difference.

17 min read

A small shop's lit window in a dark-painted frame on a street corner at dusk, with vegetables, fruit and boxes behind the glass and the shopkeeper inside; across the road, the bright glass front and long shelf rows of a large store

Strategy

Shop window and storefront: ideas that make passers-by actually step inside

Passers-by don't stop to browse — they decide on the move. We go through what they need to see in your window and in front of your shop, what to write on the chalkboard, when to change the display, and how your sales count shows whether a change actually brought anyone in.

17 min read

Gift boxes with clear windows lined up on a light wooden shelf in a small shop, dark sweets wrapped in shiny foil in front of them, more wrapped confectionery in the background, and on the left a window with a blurred house front beyond

Strategy

Getting ready for the year end: a season plan for your shop from October to January

The year end is not decided in December but in October. A week-by-week season plan for what to decide when — from holiday requests through the queues on the big days to the quiet of January.

17 min read

Behind the counter of a small general store, a wooden shelf holds labelled cardboard boxes and soft parcels of different sizes, with a basket of fresh pastries on the counter in front, warm afternoon light through the window

Strategy

A parcel pickup point in your shop: is it worth taking on parcels, bill payments and top-ups?

The per-parcel fee rarely pays for the time spent at the counter — the real value is the extra sales. A worked example, the pitfalls in the contract, and how to measure over two or three months whether it pays off for you.

17 min read

An open ring binder with monthly statements on the counter of a small general store, a bunch of keys and a calculator beside it, stocked shelves and a glass-door fridge in the background, warm late-afternoon light through the window

Strategy

Buying an existing shop: what it's worth and what to check before you buy

Taking over a running shop is a faster route than starting from scratch — as long as you buy what you see. What to ask the seller for, what to count yourself, and how to arrive at an honest price.

17 min read

An open spiral notebook with a hand-drawn table on the counter of a still-empty small shop, a calculator, a pencil and a cup of coffee beside it, half-stocked shelves in the background, warm morning light through the window

Strategy

A business plan for opening a shop: template, worked example and the numbers that sink it

A shop's business plan is not polished prose for the bank but three numbers: how many customers come, how much they spend, and what it takes to break even. Here is the template and a worked example.

17 min read

An empty small shop unit being prepared for opening: freshly painted walls, bare new wooden shelves, a closed document folder and a set of keys on a new counter, morning sun through a large window

Strategy

What licences and permits do you need to open a shop? A checklist for the months before opening

The list of permits differs from country to country, but the questions are the same everywhere. Here is the full map: what to clarify, where to ask, and why before the lease.

17 min read

The lit window of a small shop on an evening street, the illuminated sign of a large store behind it, the shopkeeper at the counter

Strategy

A discounter has opened nearby: what to do when a supermarket arrives

The price war cannot be won — and that isn't where the question is decided anyway. What stays, though, can be worked out, and built on.

18 min read

Made-up orders in paper bags at the end of a small shop's counter, a courier bag and a handwritten order list beside them

Strategy

Delivery and ordering platforms: when they are worth it for a small shop

Delivery isn't one decision but three separate routes — and the dearest one tends to get picked first. Before you join a platform, it is worth working out what is left after commission.

18 min read

A coffee machine in the corner of a small shop's counter, paper cups and a tray of fresh bakery beside it, shelves in the background

Strategy

Coffee and hot food in a small shop: is it worth it, and how to start

A coffee counter that works can bring in more from a few square metres than a whole run of shelving. One started badly takes forty minutes a day and produces binned bakery. The difference can be calculated.

18 min read

A shopkeeper behind the counter greeting a returning customer coming through the door; bread in a paper bag set aside on the counter

Strategy

Regulars: how to make people come back

Winning a new customer is expensive, keeping an existing one is nearly free — and yet we spend on the former. In a small shop a regular isn't one sale, it is a whole year.

17 min read

A shopkeeper behind the counter photographing freshly stocked bread with a phone, the shop's shelves in the background

Strategy

How to promote your shop on social media — free and paid

A small shop's social media isn't about being seen by many. It is about being seen by the three hundred people who can walk over in ten minutes. Those are two completely different jobs.

18 min read

A lit corner shop at dusk seen from across the street, with a passer-by in the foreground holding a phone showing a simple map with a pin

Strategy

How people find your shop on Google Maps and in search

Most customers don't see your window first, they see their phone. The listing is free and takes an afternoon — and it is still the place where most small shops stay invisible.

12 min read

A row of shelves in a small shop seen from above, stock faced forward on the middle shelf and clean price labels

Strategy

Where should everything go? A shop layout that actually sells more

Same goods, same price, same customers — and yet different things sell when they sit somewhere else. Layout is the one thing in a shop you can change in an afternoon, and it costs nothing.

11 min read

A freshly painted, still empty shop unit in morning light, shelf parts waiting to be assembled and an open notebook on the counter

Strategy

What does it cost to open a small shop? The full list and the first 90 days

The cost of opening isn't one number but four groups, and it is almost always the fourth that sinks a shop. Here is the full list, a way to estimate, and a 90-day plan.

14 min read

Morning light at the entrance of a small shop, fresh bakery in a basket in front of the counter, tidy shelves behind

Strategy

How to grow a shop's turnover: 12 steps that actually work

Turnover isn't one number but three multiplied together: how many customers come in, how much they buy at once, and how often they come back. Twelve steps — each with where you'll see it.

13 min read

A cut wheel of farmhouse cheese, jars of coffee beans and honey on the oak counter of a small specialist shop in afternoon light

Strategy

Specialisation for small shops: staying competitive

A small shop doesn't survive by stocking a little of everything. It survives because there are two or three reasons to walk into that particular shop.

10 min read

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