“Share the love”

Town Crier with

Justin Tunstall

Retail consultant, shares with us his cheese selling experience

• “Sticky fingers”
• “Everyone’s a winner”
• “Myths and legends of Turophilia”
• “When ‘cheese’ is not cheese”
• “Don’t disrespect the Cheddar”

I'm unlikely to tempt customers from the multiples on price or on convenience. Our tiny store is very specialist, and as we say on our website, parking is a nightmare! Nope, what helps win trade for us is a triumvirate of enthusiasm, expertise and our range – great stuff that can’t be found elsewhere

One of the great joys in my work is finding interesting new products, be they cheeses, preserves, biscuits, wines or accessories. When we opened, I made the selection from wholesalers’ catalogues and from a couple of visits to trade shows. I had a clear vision of what I wanted the shop to be ‘about’ and approached sourcing as though I was casting a movie or a play – everything had to play its part and also complement the rest of my choices. Each item and supplier needed to be reliable (re-stockable) and importantly, saleable at a price that could deliver a profit. Every line has a story behind it – I set out to learn these stories about my range. The stories, or provenance, can be as important as taste when selling our wares.

As we developed the shop and mere competence moved towards expertise we decided that we wanted to sell particular products that weren’t necessarily available through wholesalers – great produce that we’d found on our travels in the local area, or had come across at farmer’s markets and food fairs. When I started judging at various cheese and food awards I made it my business to follow up and to identify products that I’d blind-tasted and loved.

But the process of getting smaller producers’ products into the shop, outside the regular distribution channel of a wholesaler, isn’t always easy. It takes commitment from both sides. If both agree that there’s benefit to be had from developing the relationship, it’s a winner. Producers can add more regular and greater volume of sales and benefit from having tacit endorsement and hopefully another vocal advocate for their wares. Mutual promotion via social media, ads or new stories helps build both businesses. There’s a quid pro quo that retailers should observe. Small suppliers will have been used to taking cash at the point of sale, and may insist on cash on delivery for sales to retailers. IF they’re generous enough to offer credit, DON’T abuse that trust – in fact, when we’re ‘in funds’, I find it worthwhile paying ahead of due date. It helps the relationship no end. Accounts and manufacturing are unlikely to be sited in separate buildings and this small gesture gets noticed.

Thus, I get exciting produce for my store that customers can’t find elsewhere. Job satisfaction comes not from ‘offloading’ a slow moving item to a shopper, nor from ringing up a large basket of swiftly selected goods; it comes from seeing a customer’s face light up as they sample something that I have recommended.  It’s a great feeling to share the enjoyment of food – and to be able to earn a living from that.