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Why STAG?
There are unquestionable benefits to joining a buying group, but it's also true to say that it's not for every retailer. Careful consideration is vital when considering such a move, as Lesley Maynard, owner and manager of In Training, located in Haslemere, Surrey, discovered.
Signing on the dotted line was something both Lesley and the previous owner of In Training had considered, as she explained: "I thought about joining STAG for a year. The previous owner had also looked at STAG a year or two before, and she'd gone through and worked out the benefits for her and decided not to go ahead for whatever reason. Then I looked at STAG and thought about the reasons to go with them, and there were more reasons to join than not to."
Lesley explained the key reasons for her joining: "The decisive reasons were the negotiated discounts, and the fantastic card rates. As a shop we've been with the same bank for 25 years and the bank still can't match the card rates that we get now with STAG."
Growth is also key to Lesley's thinking, with an expanded supplier base available to her through STAG. They already stock key brands like Nike, Asics and K Swiss, but membership brings many more brands and products within reach of the independent. "We can now make our offering to the customer even better with STAG," Lesley enthused. "Ward Robertson and the team have a lot of brand and market knowledge, along with years of experience - I plan to learn all I can from that to help and improve the business."
Life can be pretty tough for any retailer, particularly at the moment, but Lesley is feeling a greater benefit than simply financial from her new STAG membership. She added: "I feel part of the family now, with more confidence now we've signed up to STAG. As an independent, you can feel a bit isolated, but with STAG we have a big group behind us. I'm looking forward to attending their shows and meeting the other retailers.
"The personal touch really helped - Ward Robertson visited me in person on several occasions and answered every question I had. He didn't pull any punches with his advice either, nothing was sugar-coated. It's better than just getting a letter in the post, or an email asking if you'd like to join."
