BUSINESS SUCCESS
M A K I N G A N I M PA C T
The small business making a big impact From opening a second store during a pandemic to running a national campaign for National Stationery Week 2023 to becoming a three-time Boss award winner, SARAH LAKER of Stationery Supplies tells us about being a small business making a big impact
R
unning a business amid a cost-of-living crisis
feel out of your control.
only a few years after a global pandemic is not
Sarah explained, “As a business, you always hope for a steady
for the faint-hearted. Survival, let alone success,
year, but 2023 was full of highs and lows. We had some great months
means showing fortitude and resilience –
and some difficult ones. For example, three bank holidays in May
something the office product industry has proven
impacted retail. Things like that you can’t control, so it’s difficult to
it has in spades. Sarah Laker, owner of Stationery Supplies, has been
improve upon because you can’t change those things! We also saw
on a mission to ensure that her business can excel while fostering and
the cost-of-living crisis beginning to kick in. We analysed our footfall
cultivating a network of support that others can benefit from.
and found it was steady year-on-year, but our basket spend was down.
The reseller community may be made up of businesses of all
People are still coming out shopping but not spending as much, which
shapes and sizes – from large scale online-only dealers to small
is a clear indication that the cost of living is hitting hard, and everyone
independent stores to the dealer groups that work with partners
is seeing that across the board. The highs included winning the Boss
across multiple markets, but often, the challenges of business
Independent Retailer of the Year award for three consecutive years.
translate in the same way. Particularly when it comes to things that
Winning once was amazing, but three times blows my mind.”
[20] MARCH 2024
www.dealersupport.co.uk