Claire Robertson gives it some Welly!

by Paul Seaton

Over recent months many WoolworthsReunited members have asked for news of the new stores opened by former Woolies Managers. It's great that Mark and Kevin have opened stores of their own, with Wee W soon to follow in Scotland and others too. But one request stands head and shoulders over the rest - "When do we get to meet the legendary Claire Robertson and to see what her store looks like?" I was delighted to receive an invitation and headed down to Dorset on Friday 17 July, accompanied by colleague and friend Andy Hayzelden, to find out more. In a word Wellworths is awesome!

Dorchester is an affluent market town, about five miles from the central south coast. The town planners have excelled in retaining the area's charm and tranquility, while still keeping up-to-date. New buildings intermingle with the distinctive local architecture, making for a first-rate shopping area that is popular with tourists.

Wellworths is at the heart of South Street, the main shopping thoroughfare, next door to Marks & Spencer. While it's large and red-brick, it is not a standard ex-Woolies building. Many of the original features have been retained and were reinstated as part of the renaissance this Spring. A Union Flag adds the finishing touch above the store's bright blue Wellworths fascia.

Walking into 'Wellies', it's clear that this is no '10/10' or traditional FWW store. It's bright and clean, with a floor that glistens with polish and bright white fixtures with a pastel blue stripe above. It's spacious too, with plenty of space to get about and much less clutter. There are only a few floor standing display units, all of which are discretely tucked into edges and corners or incorporated into the layout. There's lots of new merchandise, with alternative products in amidst the traditional ranges and whole new departments, many of which are making a welcome return after a long time away. Summer furniture and seasonal items are displayed at the store front, opposite the main cash desk, leading into a brand new feature - a pound shop, reflecting Claire's determination to offer great value for money to the shoppers of Dorchester. Other innovations include petcare, an extended range of crafts, wool, lampshades and (capitalising on the BBC's fly-on-the-wall documentary) a huge range of photo frames, along with a selection of mounts to add the finishing touch.

It's hard to imagine that - far from ordering from the Distribution Centre or some other central wholesaler - actually Claire and her team have had to identify suppliers for all of these products, choose the range and agree the commercial terms to get the products on the counters. While some members of the team had such long service with Woolworths that they can remember the days when stores counted stock in binders and placed their own orders on suppliers, Claire started with an empty store and everything she had learnt during eighteen years with Woolies.

Despite her new-found fame, Claire Robertson is modest about her achievements. "I've been lucky", she explained. "I had a great team in Dorchester, with lots of experience. We were a profitable Woolies, caught in the crossfire when the Company went into Administration. I contacted the landlord as soon as the news broke and started making plans. My backer brings lots of complementary skills - he's an accountant who didn't know very much about retailing, but is an expert in all matters financial. We talk every week and we're both learning all the time. He's been very supportive and it's good to have a second opinion and to have someone to challenge your plans as they take shape."

"As a Woolies Manager I was used to managing the service and maintaining the standards in the store. We used to take the Buying and other office-based activites for granted - you basically used to put on sale what you were sent, along with tickets and signs to highlight the offers, and did your best to comply with the latest thinking on store processes from stock counts to 'scan and bag'. It's very different now - I've had to learn fast. Dan, my Buyer, has been great! The TV really didn't show just how much he has achieved. Sometimes he's the guy the team love to hate because they can't have all the ranges that they want, but he's also the lynchpin when it comes to ranging and a much-respected member of the team. Between us we've had to track down new sources of supply for existing products and seek out whole new ranges. I find I spend much more time upstairs than I used to. The staff say I sit in my office and play 'Pacman', but actually I have to do a lot of surfing to track down the products we need as well as staying on top of the finances. You can afford to do that when you have such a good team on the salesfloor."

The salesfloor was packed when we went to visit, easily the busiest in town. As we stood in the middle of the floor, a customer asked if we would mind if she interrupted. "Are you that lady from the telly?" she asked. Claire blushed and said that she was. "I just had to come up and say hello. We've come to Dorchester specially to go to Wellies, and just want to say 'Good for You!'" So how is the store doing and is Claire satisfied with it? It's clear from her answer that she's not complacent. "Sales are good, but don't believe everything you read", she replies. "We're beating our targets and trade is brisk, but as ever it's all to play for in the run-up to Christmas. We're making plans already. Each season brings new challenges. Right now I'm planning Back-to-School - a little later than at Woolies, but we'll be stocking some clothing for the first time, along with ranges of Stationery, Craft and Lunchboxes." Every week since the store opened Claire has added a new range to the store, and still has lots of ideas to pursue. "I'd say so far we're about 80% of the way there", she says modestly. "There's things I don't like and lots more ideas and experiments to pursue. Just this week we added lunchboxes to the range, and we've recently added a paint display that looks remarkably like it did in the old store. We'll soon be adding more wrapped sweets on the Pick and Mix as well as the new Back-to-School Clothing. Where an idea doesn't work, like our display of fishing tackle, we cut it to clear and try something else".

So what are Claire's plans for the future? For the first time in the interview she's a little cagey. "I've had lots of contacts from ex-Woolworths people and members of the public asking me to open another store in their town. I've also had lots of calls and visits from ex-colleagues asking for tips and to help them get started. This is really difficult. I'm hugely grateful for the support and all of the good wishes, but I've got to concentrate on getting this one right first. Hopefully before long we will open one more, but only when we've got the funds, and the second is going to be very different from the first, now that the stores have been closed for more than six months. It's possible it won't be in a Woolies building and we won't have the same experienced workforce. My advice to any Woolies Manager thinking of starting up is 'plan, plan and plan some more'. This isn't something you should do lightly - it's hard work, it's high risk and it's not for the faint-hearted!" So what are Claire's top tips for would-be shopkeepers?

• Develop a business plan and be realistic.
• Don't rush into it. Take your time and get your ideas straight before you share your plans with other people.
• Count the potential customers in the street, estimate the margins and remember you won't get the bulk discounts that Woolworths used to achieve.
• Think about the effects on your family. I'm a mum with a family and it's a big commitment. My partner, Chris, who's an ex Woolies Manager, has been a huge help. Until taking up a new job he lent a hand to make sure that I get home from time-to-time. But it is stressful and a big responsibility.
• Finally, find a backer - it's more expensive than you would think, particularly as you have to pay up front to start with until suppliers give you credit. Most people say it's easier to borrow a million pounds than a hundred thousand, and the credit crunch makes it doubly difficult.

Sadly Claire can't answer all the individual questions raised by colleagues from Woolies - but in response to the many requests she receives, she's planning to write a blog, which we've offered to host at WoolworthsReunited. We'll publish more details about this shortly.

Overall, while Claire may only give herself eight out of ten, I'm sure I speak for all of our two thousand members in saying "Thank you and many congratulations for making the impossible possible and opening a store that's even better than the original". The store and its team are truly awesome. One colleague has already completed forty-seven years service and is now able to go for her fifty. And it seems only right to give the last word to Claire, who observed over a coffee, without the slightest hint of irony:

"My Regional General Manager used to say that I needed to be more assertive and stand out from the crowd." (!)

Click here to take a Virtual Tour of the Store. Return to the WoolworthsReunited home page.

© Copyright Wellworths Limited and WoolworthsReunited.com, 2009. All Rights Reserved. Please contact us if you would like to reproduce this article or any of our pictures.
The Woolworths brand name is a trademark of Shop Direct Limited and their copyright is acknowledged.