Advice for retailers by Simon Xing Smoothies

I was recently asked for business advice from someone that loved the simplicity of the menu at our high street shop. He’d just become manager at a coffee shop that also made sandwiches and was thinking of being more of a restaurant. What instantly sprang to mind was focus. After launching a smoothie bar and redefining ourselves as a healthy fast food outlet, i could say with 100% confidence, that every area of a business will benefit from focusing on making the fewest things you possibly can. If you can be known for doing one thing, that’s perfect.

Your training will be easier resulting in increased consistency. Less equipment will improve the ergonomics of space and reduce the amount of costly sq ft wasted on prep space or stock. You’ll know exactly who you are targeting. And in return, customers will know exactly what you sell. They’ll assume you’re the expert – which you must live up to.

If you try to be a coffee shop, sandwich shop and restaurant, the chances are your coffee won’t be as consistently good as a coffee shop. Your sandwiches won’t be as good as a sandwich shop etc. You don’t get, and keep, customers by accident.

By doing one thing you can go to extreme lengths to do it perfectly, to award winning standard – not cutting any corners. Then you need to do a good job of communicating that. Your shop should be a theater – a celebration of your product and the process that goes into making it.

Some good examples of food and drinks companies in York and Leeds are the espresso bars like Laynes, La Bottega Milanese, Spring Espresso, they’re even more focused than a coffee shop. Or York Hog Roast with the hot meat joints in the window.

A personal favourite is the Luxury Ice Cream Company in York. By focusing on Ice Cream they can go to the trouble of pasteurising their own cream. With seating, the place is very popular year round, even though the core product is very seasonal. It’s a beautiful shop that celebrates ice cream and understands exactly who their target market is,

It takes balls to say ‘we only sell ……….’. But having a bigger menu doesn’t = more customers. Do your research first as to what product will be most appropriate for the location. Unlike the internet or market stalls and street food vans, location can’t be changed once you’ve signed that lease.

Decide what your perfect customer looks, and behaves, like. Plan carefully your complimentary products for changes in the seasons. Then jump in with both feet. As Steve Jobs famously presented, ‘focus is about saying no’. He knew a thing or two about business. And retail as it turned out.

Simon @SimonALong