SHOP TALK IF I’D KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW... Armorel Willoughby, owner, Armadeli, Stroud
The best advice I was given, when contemplating my career change from personal injury solicitor to deli owner, was to gain hands-on experience. I started on the shop floor at Whole Foods Market in Cheltenham and worked my way up to speciality team leader. When the store closed in 2017, I worked for a few months at Gloucester Services Farm Shop and started looking for premises. I found a converted pub in the centre of Stroud that ticked all the boxes. Although my original vision was to open a pure cheesemonger, my experience in those previous roles taught me the importance of stocking other speciality items. I opened the deli in September 2018 and used that first Christmas to boost cashflow. Everything went well until, halfway through year two, COVID hit. With our focus on cheese and luxury gifting, we couldn’t really be classed as ‘essential’. We didn’t have an online shop (something I wish I had done differently), so we had to close for three months. Although we reopened after lockdown, the town had changed in terms of footfall and our side-street location wasn’t working. Then, in summer 2020, out of the blue I received an email inviting me to join the new Five Valleys food market in town. I’d already worked out that I was going to have to close after Christmas the way things were going, so it was a fantastic opportunity. It was tough to negotiate my way out of the previous lease, but this was definitely the right move. The footfall here is much higher - and is growing each month. And we are surrounded by other food shops, like a butcher and a baker, so we all benefit from one another’s presence. Interestingly, I haven’t changed anything about my business model. I think the difference is that the market format allows people to browse without feeling committed in the same way they do when they walk through a door. I look at my sales every week to see what is performing and isn’t. That comes from working in larger retail where we had to do ‘explanatory reports’ every Monday. This year, despite everything, I’m on track to break even and next year, I hope to make a small profit. It’s not really about turnover, though; it’s about margins, which is why I have just reviewed my pricing. I’m hopeful that further growth will come organically as the development is still quite new, but I can’t just rely on that. I have a cute bar area that I would like to use more by opening in the evening and I also want to create an online shop, as, like it or loathe it, people want to shop online. Interview Lynda Searby Photography Stuart Key
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December 2021 | Vol.22 Issue 10
