Tips for success
Find a niche - smaller shops need to specialise rather than compete with the bigger stores by stocking large ranges of clothes. Find a gap in the market and fill it.
Location is key - high street locations near a supermarket have most passing trade but are expensive. Look for the most accessible site for the amount you can afford to pay.
Work on your image - fashion is all about selling an image. Your customers need to be attracted to your shop as well as the clothes you sell.
Be inventive - try more imaginative ways to stand out from the crowd such as organising fashion events or writing editorial pieces in local newspapers.
Control stock - all your marketing will be worthless if you don't have enough garments in the right size when the customers come.
Useful Contacts
Association of Suppliers to the British Clothing Industry
www.asbci.co.uk
01422 354 666
British Retail Consortium
www.brc.org.uk
020 7854 8900
British Shops and Stores Association
www.british-shops.co.uk
01295 712 277
The Alliance of Independent Retailers
www.indretailers.co.uk
01905 612 733