Mentoring scheme boosts sales for Wrexham retailers

Martin Rees Jewellers and Pawnbrokers in Wrexham has a reputation for dealing fairly in precious metals, gems and family heirlooms. Last year the shop, which is run by Ruth Rees and nine staff, won a national award from the National Skills Academy for Retail for excellent customer service and gained a 100 per cent score following two visits by a mystery shopper.

But in April 2013, as gold prices dropped from a record high, Mrs Rees decided it was time to look at ways to boost her shop’s performance and increase sales, and so she became the first retailer in Wrexham to sign up for a mentoring service provided by the National Skills Academy for Retail, which is funded by the Welsh Government’s Sector Priorities Fund Pilot (SPFP) through the European Social Fund.

Mrs Rees said: “Our core business is in secondhand jewellery but we haven’t had time to focus on the new ranges and somebody from a multiple retailer background would be able to help us improve our offers.

“Mark was our mentor and he gave us a quick overview of the shop and sent me an email of our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, which was very interesting reading.

“We were pleased that he paid us some compliments and said that our shop was a destination retailer of its kind and probably generated a lot of the footfall in our street.

“It’s still too early to have any concrete results to show, but he helped me to come up with a plan to increase the sales of new jewellery, which is our aim. We’re looking forward to going from strength to strength.”

To find out more about the courses and services on offer please visit www.nsaforretail.com