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After sitting in the background and reading the blogs/comments that are coming in about Sunder here’s my thoughts:-

We are still independent stores, all reasonability still lies with us from HR Issues, Insurance, Profit, the Building still belongs to us and everything inside. The turnover still is going into our pockets, with a “better controlled” margin.

What we are getting is a simpler model to work with, giving us more time to spend on the shop floor from my understanding, they are providing the support of a visit every 4 weeks with at least 4 hours per visit to help us identity growth, store standards and other issues that may arise at each store, without letting us loose grip on the brand standards.

This brings the independent sector into a better place, wouldn’t it be lovely if you visit a symbol store and they all wore the same uniform with name badges on, the store standards where as good as the last store and most of all we all stocked a very much similar range to the point of been able buy a basic meat, sauce and veg for an evening supper, surly symbol groups should be driving these basic principles into our business instead of just box’s. I personally run two stores with “PRIDE” but not a lot of support that I believe symbol groups have lost sight off.

Currently working with any symbol group does have its issues, with availability of stock, pack size changes, wholesale price changes, Retail prices changes taking up a lot of our time and resource where we could actually spend this time helping develop our store teams, investing time on the shop floor where the customer is, and also giving us time to find other stores, or even most importantly ‘family time’, not getting phone calls from the store at every delivery point where the complexity of symbol groups can come from.

I personally use to only work 2 days a week in the business, now I am doing 6/7 days a week due to the complexity of it all from my symbol group, and it’s not getting any better, because each captain has their own view(s) and it takes time to chance direction of the ship, with answer stating ‘Maybe’ or next year, they’ve lost there ways. We are buying more and more outside our symbol groups due to the way competition is out there, which is costing us more time and money, losing sight of stock control, margin, increase wages and much more with buying outside the symbol group.

If you are a retailer with a symbol group and you are buying outside that symbol group then in fact you are a ‘Trader’ One Stop allows you to have the same product, pack size, delivery times, and support all rolled into one. If you are already a ‘successful retailer’ then this is the next step for your business and customers, the franchise model is coming to the UK driving better store standards and sales’, Sunder won’t be a glorfied manager he still owns a very successful business and more successful hopefully in the future with the support, his business has driving Sunder to a higher level allowing him to invest outside the business.

From my understanding One Stop are on a journey, they know how to sell products, they are just learning the quality of independent retailing and they are on a journey which not only will improve their own stores, but bring value to the independent sector. One Stop are not offering any retailer anything different whether you are high profile or just a retailer, it’s about the right retailer and the right customer in the area, not who you are!!!

As for the comments from Raj Soni, not sure who you are, Sundher is a high profile retailer and worked very hard to establish himself in the Community and industry and he doesn’t enjoy the ‘lime light’ he has helped a lot of retailers change their business by been honest and open, he’s spent his own time visiting store and working with them to drive sales, so who are you?, when’s the last time you spent your own time helping another retailer for nothing but for helping his business.

Lessons from this more time on the shop floor with staff and customers, more in your pocket, more time with family, and a simpler model to enable you to buy more stores should you wish, good luck Sunder