Business

Kingston is open

and ready for business!

Back in March, time seemed to stop as COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation. Many non-essential businesses such as shops, restaurants, theatres and bars temporarily closed their doors as the UK went into lockdown.

A few months later, there were signs of optimism on the horizon as large swathes of the business community opened up again and we saw muchneeded activity on the high streets. Recently, the UK has seen a swift rise in new COVID-19 cases – a development that has forced the government to impose new restrictions to stop a potentially deadly second wave of the virus. However, a return to a full-scale national lockdown seems unlikely as ministers try to balance the need to keep people safe with the need to keep the economy going.

Locally, companies in Kingston are doing everything they can to adapt to the current, evolving situation. They are, however, keen to promote the message that they are very much open and ready for business.

Sam Berry runs a small neighbourhood restaurant, No.97, which is located in the heart of leafy Maple Road in Surbiton. The concept of the business is simple: contemporary dining in a relaxed environment, serving food inspired by fresh, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, paired with an eclectic selection of wines, gin and innovative cocktails.

Sam has spent the last few months adapting his business to comply with coronavirus restrictions while trying to provide a top-class service to customers.

He says: “COVID-19 has affected us all, especially after restaurants were forced to close. We wanted to push and keep going so we turned our restaurant into a takeaway operation offering a five-course tasting menu takeaway side and pre-batched cocktails to go alongside it, delivered locally every Friday.

“Once restrictions began to ease, we started building up slowly, only opening a few days a week. We are now almost back to normal reopening hours and have been pretty busy considering the current circumstances. We have also decided to put some positivity into the business and have been crazy enough to open a new restaurant located in Thames Dittion Marina overlooking the River Thames.

“We have put in place various safety measures, such as sanitising stations, reduced tables and reduced covers, and we’ve followed government guidelines on track and trace by obtaining details of customers who walk through our doors. That said, we’ve also wanted to create as much of a normal environment as possible to make people feel relaxed and less on edge.”

Sam has been willing to adapt in the current pandemic to keep his business going. He moved his gin company – www.thegoodlifemerch.co.uk – online and offered a takeaway operation until he was allowed to reopen. He remains positive about the future, while being realistic enough to realise that there may be some difficult challenges ahead.

“I don’t want to be arrogant or negative,” he says. “I’ve built up this business over the last four years

“We’ve certainly seen quite a lot of activity in New Malden. Nandos still seems to have a queue outside of it on Friday lunchtimes and the shops seem busy. I’ve even seen new businesses pop up in the last six months, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.”

and we now have four restaurants in the group, all local to Kingston. I will do everything in my power to survive this and make sure we can continue to keep all of our amazing staff employed.

“We’re very lucky to be based in Surbiton. People who live in the area want to support local businesses and we have felt that for the whole of lockdown. We are forever grateful for this and it gives us the motivation to make everything work.”

There are signs that the borough of Kingston is seeing increased activity following the relaxation of certain restrictions during the early part of the summer. Claire Darby, partner in the dispute resolution department at Pearson Hards solicitors in New Malden, says that shoppers have flocked to the high street and surrounding areas in recent weeks.

She says: “We’ve certainly seen quite a lot of activity in New Malden. Nandos still seems to have a queue outside of it on Friday lunchtimes and the shops seem busy. I’ve even seen new businesses pop up in the last six months, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think that people are shopping much more locally and doing so in their own towns much more than before. Personally, the current situation has made me think about what I need a lot more and whether I need to make a trip anywhere. I’ve certainly made fewer trips into Kingston as I know it will be very busy there with lots of people. That’s obviously good for Kingston but if you’re wanting to avoid crowds a bit more then it’s not necessarily the place to be! New Malden has always been busy, especially at lunchtime with all of the restaurants down the high street, and I haven’t really seen any difference now.”

Claire’s assertion that towns in the borough are busy is borne out by evidence from Kingston First, the local Business Improvement District (BID). Footfall in the borough in August was triple what it had been during the height of the lockdown in May, according to the BID, while the year-on-year decrease in Claire Darby, Pearson Hards solicitors

footfall in August was significantly lower than the decline in Greater London in the same month.

Meanwhile, retail, food and beverage sales in Kingston continued to bounce back strongly in August compared to the previous month.

Forbes Low, chief executive of Kingston Chamber of Commerce, adds: “We know that Kingston businesses have been through a lot in recent months but there are signs that the wheels of commerce are turning once again. Naturally, we have to remain cautious and vigilant, especially given the recent rise in coronavirus cases, but it’s important to keep the economy going while keeping workers and customers as safe as possible. Kingston Chamber will continue to offer our assistance, advice and guidance to businesses wherever we can. We all need to come together to ensure we protect companies and jobs, keep people healthy and sustain an economic recovery.”

As businesses continue to face challenges, Julie Leach explains why managing employee’s performance is as important now as ever….

Many businesses are facing significant changes to their sectors and industries at the moment. In times of change, giving people a clear message about what the company is working to achieve and what is needed to get there, will give employees clarity, structure and purpose. This is needed more now than ever in this ever-changing world.

Ideally this should start with a clearly communicated strategy from Senior Management. This creates focus and gives direction as to where the business needs to go. From this, managers can then determine what needs to happen in their team/department to ensure everyone is working together to achieve the same objective. There are many frameworks that can be used to support this process, however something relatively simple that is clearly understood by everyone is a great starting point. 1. Start with good quality job descriptions; they form the basis of what someone expects to do in their job. These also form a key part of the recruitment and selection process so should be readily available. If not, write them. Include key tasks, responsibilities and skills. 2. Spend some time establishing what tangibly needs to happen in the team/department to drive success. Is it retaining clients? Growing a customer base? Delivering a new system on time? The creation of a new product offering? Re-aligning the business to a new environment? Whatever the goal is, break it down into smaller tasks that can be allocated to people.

3. Talk to the team and explain why they have been allocated certain tasks and then meet frequently to discuss how they are performing.

Provide positive feedback, coach and address areas where performance is below the required standard. Ensure the tasks they are given are specific, can be measured, can be achieved, are relevant and have a time frame for delivery. tasks, also known as objectives, every few months and by monitoring and reviewing performance the team will move the business in the right direction. 5. Encourage the right behaviours as well.

Consider what’s important at the moment…. teamwork, embracing change, trust and open and honest communication.

There are many ways of recording all of this but a document that is clear and simple will work better than something complicated, detailed and confusing.

Continued effort in this area will result in a committed, engaged and motivated group of employees with a clear sense of purpose in these

4. Repeat the process of giving employees key

challenging times.

Discover Corporate Membership at THE LENSBURY CLUB

All set in our stunning 25 acre gardens and grounds on the banks of the River Thames

Corporate membership pricing

Our corporate membership offers a significant discount on our individual membership prices so take advantage and put your company’s wellness first.

Find out more about our

Corporate Membership on membership@lensbury.com or call 020 8614 6500

The Lensbury Club, Broom Road, Teddington, TW11 9NU

It’s unquestionable that the pandemic has affected business in countless ways, both negative and positive. Many have undergone substantial change such as increased/decreased customer demand, changing modes of delivery for products and services, revised cost structures and alternative use of resources.

The result is that their business models have changed, in many cases significantly and in order to recover and prosper, business owners need to review what has happened and develop a new model for success and growth. The questions business owners need to answer are:

Where they are now?

Where do they need to be in 12 months, 2 years and ultimately to achieve their goals?

How do they build and understand a new model to get them there?

And most importantly what are the practical steps and strategies they must implement now to make the change happen?

However, addressing these questions is just the first step and one which can seem daunting when undertaken without support. Business owners are likely to be faced with the following difficulties:

The need to adapt is urgent

Where do they find the time to re-model their businesses if they are already firefighting to survive? Do they have the right skills to objectively analyse their businesses in depth and have the courage to make the necessary changes?

Do they have the necessary business tools and methodologies they need to undertake the process?

This year’s pandemic has shown that businesses and the individuals leading them are incredibly adaptive even in periods of great stress, which is why this is exactly the right time for them to consider a business coaching programme. Great challenges lie ahead but also great opportunities and the businesses that take the time now to think about how the crisis has changed working practices, will be the ones at an advantage when the dust settles.

A practical and hand-on coaching programme provides the space to reflect on the bigger picture and discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by the current environment in a more strategic way. Similarly taking a step back to discuss the challenges ahead with someone who is not only neutral to the day-today stresses of your business but who is experienced in finding solutions and overcoming obstacles to business growth can be invaluable.

At Kingston Burrowes, many of our clients have spoken of the issues outlined above, which led us to develop the ‘Back to Business’, Business Recovery and Growth Programme. Aimed at established businesses looking to reshape and grow, the programme will help business owners to acquire the skills and expertise to re-model their businesses and develop and implement a structured growth strategy.

This hands-on programme introduces practical strategies that build a platform for sustainable business recovery and growth. The programme also introduces the tools and techniques to deliver effective and definable business change and future proof it in uncertain times. Participants are provided with support specific to their businesses, enabling them to navigate their unique challenges and ultimately achieve their business goals and vision.

For more information on the Back to Business Programme, or to reserve a FREE place at the online taster session on 22 October, please visit http://bit.ly/KingstonBurrowes or email amyjudd@kingstonburrowes.com.