p42-43 Know Feature mar20 17/3/09 17:26 Page 43
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BOOKS
Paula Matthews, owner, Reality
Travel, Leigh on Sea
Advantages
I used to be a home-
worker but seven years
ago I decided I wanted
to have a shop presence.
The average rent around
here is £15,000 per year
and that’s not including the £20,000 upfront
premium you have to pay. I couldn’t have
afforded to go it alone on those costs. How-
ever, my mum had an established bookshop
and at that time was moving premises so I
used the opportunity to “move in” with her.
I pay her just under a third of the rent and
rates which comes to £8,000 a year. It also
means I can afford to have a “bad” month!
I am visible to passing trade but my mum
and I do joint adverts and marketing cam-
paigns if she is promoting a book with a
travel theme. For example, I sometimes give
away a free travel guide with a booking or
we design a joint promotion in the shop
window and at book signings when we hand
out vouchers. The rest of the time we rotate
window displays depending on demand:
Christmas, for example, is very busy in the
bookshop, whereas it’s a quiet period for me;
while January is quiet for her but busy for me.
My mum has now added a coffee shop so
it’s a perfect one-stop shop for people book-
ing their holiday. They might enquire about
a break, have a drink before they confirm
their booking, and then buy a book to read
while they’re away.
Without doubt it has brought me custom
from people who hadn’t originally come in
Double booking: Reality Travel shares premises with a bookshop – and both benefit from each other’s customers to book a holiday. I recently did a tailor-made
trip to the Azores for someone who had
get customers, mainly from Costa, who prob- cost-effective, but nevertheless I’m not intended to come in just for a cappuccino.
ably wouldn’t have dropped by otherwise. If unhappy with the set-up we have.
they get 200 to 300 customers a day, about We do get some noise from the coffee Disadvantages
20% will visit us, if only for a brochure. machines but it’s not distracting. And while I can’t think of many disadvantages at all
we get kids from the cafe running around other than perhaps a lack of storage space
Disadvantages too, we do cater for family holidays so we’re when all the new brochures come in. It can
National brands have strict rules about happy to welcome them! get noisy when the bookshop is busy but to
advertising practice. We can’t put travel me that just adds a buzz to the atmosphere.
offers on tables in Costa, for example, and Verdict: You’ve got to think of new ideas in
although we have one part of the window for this market and this concept works for us. I Verdict: I would definitely recommend it as
our posters they have to be of a certain size, think it’s easier to set up with a national a way of setting up a business. It’s worth
otherwise Waterstones takes them down. brand if you are already established and are approaching an established retailer to see if
We are allowed A-boards outside each en- looking to expand because they put you they would be open to the idea. It’s surprising
trance but it can still prove difficult encour- through rigorous business checks to ensure how well businesses mould together even if
aging people upstairs. We certainly could your offering fits their mould. On these there’s no obvious connection – but food is
be more creative if we were inside a local grounds, for some agents it would probably probably a good theme to link in with be-
bookshop, and our marketing could be more be easier to set up with a local business. cause it usually brings a regular client base.
20.03.2009 43
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