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BY ASSOCIATION
JOINING UP... What The Trade Associations Are Doing For Members
We asked the two key players – the RBA and BBSA – to talk us through what support measures they have had, and continue to have, in place during the pandemic and as shops slowly start to re-open
THE RBA Nicola Garton, Chair
The first half of 2020 has presented bridal shops with challenges they have never had to face before. It is a huge relief to be in the position to reopen our boutiques and welcome customers back through the doors, yet it is still an extremely tumultuous time as we adjust to the ‘new normal’, adapt our businesses to meet new guidelines and trade in a way we have never done before.
As independent retailers, it can feel lonely and isolating at the best of times and feel that there is a lack of support; the COVID-19 crisis has only highlighted this.
The RBA has always worked hard to build a supportive community for its members, a place to join together to combat issues and talk through difficult situations and this has never been so relevant as now.
During the past few months, we have been offering advice on measures that may need to be enforced in our stores so that risk is minimised and all the necessary precautions are followed to ensure
the health, safety and wellbeing of employees and our customers.
Every member has received a set of Health & Safety and Risk Assessment templates in relation to COVID-19 that they can tailor accordingly, as well as key information and guidelines on making redundancies – a sensitive decision for any bridal shop owner.
We as an association recognise that the coming months will be rocky so we are putting plans in place to help our members further. We are planning more training seminars and videos with step-by-step guides on topics including health and safety, dealing with tricky customers who are not adhering to guidelines, dealing with negative reviews on social media, staff training and HR practices.
Our Facebook closed group forum has always been a supportive network and the place to ask for advice and share concerns but has truly been a lifeline for many when our shops were shut for so long.
Members have used this forum to share discount offers for PPE equipment, ask advice on furloughing staff members and how the ‘new look’
appointments should be carried out. the dress. Also, offering brides the
Our members also have access to opportunity to invite friends ‘virtually’ free legal advice any time they need who are not able to attend in person is it. With so many postponed weddings an essential tool that will make them and disgruntled, panicking brides, we feel that they are not missing out or must keep calm, know the law and the experience is dampened at all. navigate complaints and issues with a Effective communication also clear head. Having a helpline in place needs to apply to team members. reassures and helps our members With many staff still furloughed and decide on the next steps. some back on the shop floor, there
We recognise that with so is a danger of resentment-building, many changes in place there is an opposition to new rules in place, and increased level of anxiety, not only frustration at having to navigate longer for shop owners, but for our staff and appointments etc. Schedule in regular customers too. catch-ups with all your team, ironing
The RBA Executive Council out any issues before they escalate. have been holding regular Zoom Having a strong, happy workforce who committee meetings as we have been are going to work with you, not against unable to meet in you, over person, discussing the coming how the future will look for our stores We recognise that the months, will make facing and the importance coming months will be bumps along of guiding our members to cope rocky so we are putting the road a lot easier! with the changes plans in place to help our As we ahead. We are return to looking to offer members further some kind of more ‘mentoring’ normality, we support to stores can also turn in need and shop visits, suggesting our attention and look forward to the changes that could be made to Harrogate Bridal Show in September. ensure standards are kept high. We are so delighted that it is taking
One of the key areas we must place and it will be a fantastic all continue to focus on is social opportunity to catch up with our media.Investing time and money members in the RBA lounge, hold where possible to ensure we have our annual AGM and check out new the strongest social platforms is collections. We will also have our of utmost importance, especially RBA stand, explaining the incentives now. We have been advising our and advantages to being part of the members to update their platforms RBA and our aim is to continue to regularly to keep customers in the recruit more members to make our loop regarding the new changes in association stronger. place, while offering reassurance that For many of our members, the they will still experience a great time Harrogate Bridal Show will be the in store and providing them with all first buying opportunity this year, the information they need to have the although we feel that cautious buying confidence to buy. will be on people’s minds. While it
Good communication is essential is necessary so have the strongest, right now and will minimise most desirable dresses on our shop complaints. Posting regularly, videos floors, there will be many financial of how appointments are now being concerns for owners. It’s never been carried out and showing staff adhering more important to have honest to social distancing will encourage conversations with our suppliers brides to book an appointment and about the road ahead, select dresses they are more likely to say yes to very carefully and convey how we may not be able to invest in new collections like we would have readily done so in the past.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Retail Bridalwear Association please visit www.rbaltd.org. uk/ – Yearly membership costs £350 +VAT.
BBSA William Dicks, Chair
At the time of writing, bridal retailers in England have been permitted to reopen for nearly two weeks. The feedback stores are giving is extremely encouraging, with full appointment schedules and very high conversion rates. It is as good a re-start as any of us could have hoped for. It is my sincere hope, however, that the positive thoughts of change which we all felt during the lockdown are not lost; hose plans we all had, as business owners, should not be forgotten.
There are a great number of things we can and should work on together to improve in our industry. As a relatively new Chairman of the BBSA, I want to refocus our efforts on promoting independent retailers and the brands you sell.
Before the Covid pandemic struck
we had started to bring together tangible ideas to do just this and I hope we can pick up where we left off now the lockdown has passed.
The response of UK bridal retailers in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic has been, from a supplier’s perspective, very heartening. Despite the shocking and sudden lockdown being imposed, many retailers maintained a determined stance.
Speaking from my own experience as a supplier, the vast majority of retailers tried their best to keep lines of communication open and work with suppliers to find a way through the lockdown and to prepare for the reopening of stores.
It appears retailers are now falling into two camps; the fighters and the delayers. Of course all this must be caveated in the usual way – there are retailers with specific personal reasons for not reopening and they should be supported by suppliers.
Broadly speaking though, the fighters were quick out of the blocks – in many cases using the lockdown to refresh their shops and prepare their staff for new, safe, ways of working. These retailers kept answering their phones and replying to emails to build up a waiting list of appointments, ready to start selling again as soon as they were permitted.
The delayers are, um… still waiting, although we are not entirely sure what for. Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not referring to those in other parts of the UK who are not allowed to reopen. I am talking about those who are “waiting to see how it goes” – in other words, letting the braver retailers reopen their doors first and see if it is worthwhile.
Well, it turns out it very much is worthwhile. So if you are a delayer… I suggest you don’t delay any longer. Brides are placing orders with your competitors, they don’t care if you are unsure, they are not. They want their dresses and accessories and will buy them from whomever will take their order.
This is only a reflection of what has always been true – those who tackle challenges head-on perform better; those who “wait and see” or simply expect to carry on without adapting to their changing environment, fall behind.
The best suppliers, the majority of whom are members of the BBSA, most definitely fall into the camp of fighters and are extremely keen to support retailers through the reopening process.
Great thanks must go to Martin Jenkins, who has done a remarkable
job of preparing detailed guidance for all bridal retailers. He has taken advice from UKFT (UK Fashion and Textile Association) and adapted it to suit the unique needs of bridal retailers, while ensuring it follows UK Government rules. It can be found online and is available to all, members and non-members alike at: www. bridalsuppliers.co.uk/news/view/ coronavirus-guidance-for-bridalretailers – a PDF download is also available from the same page.
On the supplier side, in the immediate term we must tackle the thorny issue of exhibitions. While this is not an issue all suppliers will agree on, we do need to take the time to have a proper conversation about it.
I hope we can have an honest and open dialogue between ourselves and with our leading exhibition organiser about the best way forward. Unfortunately, at the current time there has been no consultation with suppliers or supplier associations which is very disappointing. I speak both as a Director of one the largest exhibitors (by floor space) and as the Chairman of the only supplier trade association.
We have heard nothing. No discussion about how social distancing might work in practical terms, no discussion about our thoughts on the safety of our staff, no requests for information about the likely footfall based on our conversations with our customers. Instead I, like everyone else, receive warm and cuddly emails about how “[we are] kick-starting our promotional campaign for the show” and “shops… seem excited to meet up with suppliers and fellow shop owners”.
These platitudes ignore the reality we are facing, with many retailers afraid or unable to travel, overseas buyers unable to commit with quarantine measures in place – not to mention a whole industry shut down with no income for the busiest three months of year.
This is a great example of how we must change. It is simply not good enough to expect retailers to carry on as normal, to invest in samples at the same level as a year ago. In turn, it is not reasonable for media companies to expect suppliers to make the same level of investment in promotional activities.
The same challenges remain; bigbox retail selling off the rack; pressure to over-buy samples which do not provide sufficient conversion ratio to make the investment profitable; retailers who will not adapt to the digital revolution and changing needs of brides. Now really is the time to work together, as these challenges are too great for any one organisation to tackle on their own.
The BBSA intends to lead the way on this and as the only trade association welcoming both retailer and supplier members you are very much welcome to join the conversation as we look to develop genuinely innovative ways to promote independent retailers selling independent designer dresses and accessories.
If a trade association isn’t there to promote the products we are selling and defend the unique qualities of our industry, then what is the point?
