R E T A I L
W A T C H
IN THE PRO SHOP WITH
Tony Mealing When Head PGA Pro, Tony Mealing, arrived at the Kendleshire Golf Club, the size of the shop came as a shock. Thirteen years on, he has a booming business with big plans for the future. Here, he offers up sound advice for first time retailers, with a warning not to be “too nice”.
What was the shop like at first? It’s a big shop and that was a bit of a surprise. I remember wondering how I was going to stock it but I managed to get a small overdraft and persuade suppliers to extend payment dates: giving me chance to sell the stock before I had to pay anything. The first stock order was worth about £30-£40K but the shop still looked half empty. I kept reinvesting and the business grew from there. What advice do you have for new retailers now? Be tough when it comes to working with suppliers, so don’t buy another £5K worth of stock for a 3% discount. You could end up with too much stock that you have to discount, just to get rid of it. I was a bit too nice at first, I think, and
Kendleshire Golf Club’s Head PGA Pro, Tony Mealing
got a bit sucked into forging relationships with suppliers, but it doesn’t help your bottom line. There is also a temptation to buy what you like, but you need to think beyond that. Make sure you stock products that your customers will want, even if it’s not your taste.
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I couldn’t run my business without a good EPOS system now. Amongst other things, it helps identify unpopular products, so there’s less guesswork when it comes to deciding what to buy in.
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How did you start out? Like most pros, I was in it for the golf and didn’t think about the business side of things, at first. At 17, I was taking my PGA apprenticeship and working in a pro shop at Cocksmoor Woods. I went on to work with Nicky Lumb at Hambrook and, later, lectured at the PGA Academy, whilst working as Head Pro at another club. But I wanted to combine teaching with running a business, and jumped at the Head Pro position at the Kendleshire Golf Club in 2005.
I couldn’t run my business without a good EPOS system now. Amongst other things, it helps identify unpopular products, so there’s less guesswork when it comes to deciding what to buy in. My EPOS also helps me with discounting. Again, I was too nice at times, and gave away product thinking it’d build customer loyalty. And, whilst it’s fine to give the odd item away, you need to be 100% aware of how that might affect profits. Again, the stats from my EPOS system help me keep on top how giveaways, or discounts, will impact me. Do you belong to a buying group? Yes, I do and I’d recommend this to new retailers, too. Mine really helped me, especially in the early days. Buying groups can be great for advice and guidance on everything to do with the business. Do you do much marketing? At first, I didn’t because I was focussing on setting up systems but now, marketing is something we actively do. Facebook works well for us, and we also now have a database of 4,000 shop customers. We use our EPOS system to run a loyalty scheme, and also email previous purchasers with relevant, friendly emails which help to keep us front of mind.
XPOS is the ultimate sales and stock management solution, designed specifically for golf retailers. Use XPOS reports to make better buying decisions and be a better retailer.
The PGA Professional
| November 2018
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