07 / INTERVIEW 08 /RETAIL
KNOWING IS UNDERSTANDING In today’s unprecedented and uncertain times, it is vitally important to fully understand all the participants in the supply chain; where they are now and where they are heading. Andy Campbell explains why
T
he last few months have changed garden centre retail forever. Exactly how it will change remains unclear and this will only become clearer over the months ahead. The starting point is to gain clarity on how all the supply chain players are placed. If you know yourself, your employees, customers, competitors and suppliers then you will understand your business in the widest context and ensure it is highly successful in a rapidly changing world. Let’s explore each one of these elements in turn to understand more about how they contribute to the whole.
KNOW YOURSELF It is important to know, and be clear in your own mind, exactly why you are in business and what you want from it. This might sound like a statement of the obvious, but it is surprising the number of times this is not the case. This can
result in a lack of clarity and sense of purpose throughout an organisation. Do you have a strategy for growth; are you simply seeking to maximise the return from your existing investment or do you want to get the business in the best shape for an onward sale or transfer to the next generation? Businesses that do have clarity of purpose tend to be the more successful ones. Invariably, they find it beneficial to write it down. They use it to gain involvement and commitment within the company and adopt it when it comes to external communication. It can also be beneficial to refer to and remind yourself of during those times when you get bogged down in the detail and lose sight of the “bigger picture.”
KNOW YOUR EMPLOYEES Do all your employees know and understand what you are seeking to achieve and how you wish to achieve it? If they do, great; if they don’t, now might be
Summer 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED
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