SF-June-20

5 specialityfoodmagazine.com W ith social distancing measures still in place, reopening certainly isn't a case of returning to pre-coronavirus operation. While the future is still somewhat unknown in terms of what long-termmeasures could mean for the industry, more imminently, businesses are preparing to resume operation whilst adhering to Government measures, unsure of how long they may remain in place. So what can food outlets and retailers do now to ensure their business thrives in the future? To find out, we spoke with Elliot Rich, managing director of The Alternative Board. Follow Government guidelines Most importantly, stick to Government measures and avoid jumping the gun on opening dates, Elliot tells us. Various restrictions have been put in place to ensure the safety of both staff and customers, including restocking outside of store opening hours and limiting the number of customers at any one time. Companies should be considering how to implement these, and in what way they may affect the business. Be confident There’s a lot of uncertainty around reopening, but the key to thriving is confidence. "If you’re confident, then there’s a strong possibility your business will do well when you open your doors again,” Elliot says. “There are so many business owners that don't have confidence in their business; they don’t believe that they’ll see a spike or that customers will come back, so wonder if it’s worth the effort. It’s all about mindset.” It's not only about having confidence in your business, but about ensuring your customers and staff have the same confidence in you and your company. According to Elliot, people will want to know that you've done everything you can to provide them a safe and pleasant experience. "One of the biggest mistakes businesses are making is not doing a proper risk assessment of what it looks like to enter their premises; they haven’t physically walked the customer experience," Elliot says. “Look for touch points and areas where customers will be most nervous, from driving and parking, to entering the first door and bumping into people. "You can't tell people enough about what you’re planning to do. People will come back if they feel it’s safe enough to come back. People will Google you to see if you’re open – does your website say: ‘We’re open’ or ‘We’ve taken every measure to ensure it’s safe for you to come visit us again’? Use social media or even shoot a personal video from the owner of the business, and share it on your platforms. Consider your strategy Throughout lockdown, many retailers have set up new services, discovered new routes to market and found other ways of adjusting to the shift in supply and demand. But reopening doesn't mean you have to revert to operating exactly as you did pre-lockdown. In fact, it’s more about moving forward, particularly when it comes to weaknesses in the business. "People who’ve pivoted to create an online presence will have a new income stream– it may not be as high as during lockdown, but it’s inevitable that this lockdown isn’t a one-off,” Elliot says. “If you have invested, having that online presence gives you the opportunity to keep money coming in. You may see that your walk-in business won't achieve the levels this year as it did before, but that with online services for people who are staying at home, you’ve created two income streams. Elliot continues, "Now is a chance to think of what you want to achieve as a business. Perhaps limitations are to do with talent and structure of employees, so you might rethink your team, restructure, or elevate individuals who’ve performed particularly well during these difficult times. It’s also an opportunity to think about whether your business model worked in the past, and to rethink your vision, keeping inmind what the ‘new norm’ How To Approach Reopening During Covid-19 Following weeks of reduced operating hours and closures across the industry, many food retailers, cafés and restaurants are now preparing to reopen in early June for your sector will look like.” You may also want to consider gaining an outside perspective from an expert such as a business advisor, or other part-time individuals who can support your ideas and growth as and when you need them. Keep up communications Many retailers and outlets will have worked hard to maintain their customer base and welcome new customers during lockdown, so it's important to maintain this sense of loyalty from customers. Much of this will come from communications within your team, as well as marketing-style communications outside of it. “Marketing has always been important, but some people haven’t understood the power of a brand. Marketing should be the number one area you’re budgeting for right now and doing it yourself isn’t necessarily the best way. For a small cost you can get someone else to do it for you to raise your profile and get more footfall. If you don’t have surplus to invest, consider the grant money you’ve got; others are using business interruption loans to assignmoney to marketing activities because they know by increasing their brand profile while competitors are sitting on their hands, they’ll be the ones in the spotlight. Even if your budget is £5,000, that should yield many times more business, customers and spend.”