Is your store in need of a makeover?  In order to get a fresh start, the owners of the failing bakeries featured in the TV show Save My Bakery relinquish control to the “Queen of Cakes”, Kerry Vincent.  Like all reality shows, this Food Network series exaggerates what is possible in 48 hours – but if your store is in trouble, you might want to fanaticize about what a  “Queen of Shops” would do if given the chance (if network TV is reading, I’m available).

The formula that Australian sugar artist Vincent uses to turn around a bakery that is in trouble is to look at the physical premises, the personnel, and the products.  In just two days she and her team do an update on all of these factors, which is not a likely timetable for turning around a failing business in real life. But these three areas are similar to what a “Queen of Shops” would look at.

The first of the three areas to examine would be the physical plant — the look of the shop (both inside and out), and its display fixtures.  How current is your color scheme, signage and branding?  How recently have you updated your store’s appearance?  If you need some outside input, ask someone you respect to walk through and give their perspective. You might even be fortunate enough to have a local interior design program use your store as a class project.  Of course you won’t have the Food Network paying for your improvements – but even just fresh paint and lighting can make a huge difference.

The next factor to look at is your customer service, and in the case of Save My Bakery, Kerry Vincent seeks input from every staff member to find out how functional the management system is. Often there are family members with issues with each other that haven’t been dealt with.   There is a limit to what can be done about long-standing issues in a short time, but getting people to listen to each other’s concerns is a start.

For a bakery, taste and presentation are essential to successful sales. For a shop it’s important that the inventory be up-to-date, well assorted and beautifully displayed. A makeover may require getting rid of old stock and bringing in fresh goods that will appeal to new (and potentially younger) shoppers.  Changes in price levels and markup can also help improve the bottom line.

So many of us get caught up in the day to day details of running a business without stepping back to see what needs improving.  Any makeover requires a willingness to change, and to listen to outside opinions. That is probably the hardest thing to do – but if it’s a matter of whether your shop can be saved, it may be worth letting someone help you succeed.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder