Case Studies
Retail Case Study: Best & Less
Background
Two of the longest serving, senior and experienced Regional Managers in NSW had left the business within 1 month of each other. Each had been responsible for 15 Best & Less stores. This left only 1 struggling Regional Manager, who had less than a years experience in running multiple stores.
Their sudden departure left a huge void within the business as many of the Store Mangers under their management were new appointees and first time Store Managers with little or no experience in running a Best & Less Store.
Replacements were quickly recruited from within the business and the NSW business began to slip backward in terms of sales, standards and team morale due to the lack of experience of its leadership.
Best & Less has no internal Regional Management development program.
Problem: Underperforming Stores - Inexperienced Retail Leadership
- Inconsistent sales, merchandising standards and disciplines
- Shrinking profit results through out the region
- Poor communication and direction
- No structure for effective store visits
- Non effective Management skills
- Poor productivity and low morale amongst the store teams
- Lack of urgency and individual initiative
- Stores not meeting their KPI’s
- Wage budget blow outs
McKenzie Retail Sales Turnaround Specialist Involvement
- Conducted retail systems, skills and sales process audit
- Applied Retailtutor® to work directly with each of the 3 Regional Mangers one on one in the field to accelerate their learning on the job
- Assisted the Regional Mangers to determine individual store business strategies
- Implemented People Productivity System® at store level from the Store Manger down
- Assisting the Regional Mangers to help the Store Managers to understand their sales and profit budgets and how to achieve them
- Retailtutor® supported each of the RM’s and their teams become more effective with their time management and execution
Outcome
After 6 months the McKenzie Retail Sales Turnaround Specialist program began to consistently produce extraordinary results at store level.
- When the project began 14 stores in NSW were not achieving their sales budget and 6 months later that number had been reduced to just 3
- Wage budgets are all under control
- Increased morale and people productivity
- Merchandising standards and store disciplines consistent
- RM’s on track to achieve all their KPI’s
- Improved Mystery Shopper Results
“My Managers are now given time to strategize, we have 30 – 60 – 90 day plans in place. Store Managers now know where they stand in the business and with me. Managers have now taken responsibility for what they are accountable for. I find I am now leading the managers to mange the business (Their stores) as opposed to managing the businesses or stores myself.”
Trevor McLean Regional Manger