TALKING SENSE
Profi ting from minimal space
This month we talk sense with Scott Johnson, owner-manager of Soar Tackle in Kegworth, on the Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire,
Derbyshire border! How long have you been in the fi shing tackle business?
I’ve been in the trade effectively 17 years having started through setting up and running a fi shery. I started selling baits at the fi shery in around 2009. We opened the shop in 2012.
What made you want to own a fi shing tackle shop?
The tackle shop was actually a natural progression from what was already running. We spent a few years test trading on Loughborough market to see if we were on the right lines (no pun intended).
Trading outdoors in all weathers is not the best so we needed to get somewhere more permanent and warmer. In 2012 we moved the business to where it is now in Kegworth.
What did you do before?
I’m actually a painter & decorator by trade but after a car accident I had to leave the trade for a number of years and became a manager at an independent Land Rover garage. This taught me a lot about retail, customer focus and brand awareness. I did return to the building trade for a few years but injuries from the past kind of forced me to make the jump in to setting the shop up full time.
How many sq ft (m) is the shop?
It’s about 20 sqm… I guess that’s 200 sq feet?
Do you own the premises or rent it? Rent
Is it profi table?
Yes, well keeps the bank manager happy anyway.
Yes and no. I fi nd it really frustrating that companies won’t let you have an account because Joe Bloggs in the next town sells it.
How do you market your shop?
We concentrate heavily on digital media as in Facebook, Twitter, Intsagram, Youtube and my own blog. We have tried the angling press but without advertorial we just cannot get our message across, as advertising just tackle is only competing against the big boys again. I know if I put together an advert of me or a member of staff using a product plus a story to back it up it will sell every time.
1 40 | Tackle & Guns | June 2017
Customer research proved to us that some customers wouldn’t buy a product because they deemed it too cheap and questioned the quality.
www.tandgmagazine.com
How do you compete against the big boys of retail?
We don’t, and we would be foolish to try. Even back to the days of running my painting and decorating company I learnt you need to be different and offer something others don’t or can’t. Hopefully we offer a very professional service that people feel a part of.
Do you have problems getting accounts?
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60