nursery matters JOHN BARKER
Barking Mad This month Pramland’s John Barker is looking at 2022 which brings with it a store expansion and new warehouse facility for Pramland and of course the continuing hot topics of prices increases and stock issues.
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elcome to 2022 everyone! I hope you’ve all had a nice Christmas and are fully rested and ready for another 12 months of pricing issues, stock shortages and customers generally trying to wind us all up? If you’re not. . . .UNLUCKY! You’re on the plane now, next stop Christmas 2022 – enjoy the ride! December for us seemed to have matched every other December that has come before it, a mad rush at the start of the month then a sudden realisation that it’s Christmas and the pram order will just have to wait until next month. December gives us all a little breathing space before the madness that is January. This month I want to look at 2022 and what I think the big issues we’ll face will be. 2022 for me will be a little crazy as we start our store expansion. Working with trades people is never easy but trying to work with, and to organise multiple trades men from multiple firms, is like trying to juggle eels. I’m sure everything will come to together and fingers crossed we are not impacted too heavily by any shortages of materials, etc. We recently
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nursery today
took a new warehouse on and the logistics involved in moving from one warehouse to another is mind blowing. The result is that for the transitional period you end up with zero clue where any of your stock is, when a customer calls to arrange collection it’s a frantic rush to locate items you know you have but have no idea where they are hiding. Oh well, the warehouse move will soon be completed and we can start to get some semblance of order back in to the operation. The reason for the new warehouse? Two fold really, not only have we decided to turn 70% of our current warehouse in to shop floor (That’s a fairly good reason on its own) but due to on-going stock issues with the majority of our brands we are holding more and more stock in store, sold stock is coming sooner and we are now months ahead of where we’d normally be. This is something you will all no doubt be experiencing and you’ll all know too well the issues that arise from it. Not only does it require a warehouse the size of a friendly time lords tardis but it also has an adverse effect upon the business cash flow as
john@pramland.co.uk Wit hout a sha dow of a doubt the goo d old favourite top ic of pri ces will raise its ugly hea d aga in. After a hug e wave of pri ces increases acro ss many of our shop floo rs, brands have been tell ing me tha t shippin g costs are startin g to leve l. It’s safe to say they’ll never retu rn to pre -pande mic leve ls but at least it app ear s we’ ve seen the wo rst of these unp rece dented cha rges money gets turned into boxes at an alarming rate. Whatever you do don’t make my mistake and actually start to add up how much you’re sat on in the warehouse. It will both scare and upset you in equal measure. Every time you are forced to walk past that huge pile of car seats or strollers just tell yourself that it’s paid for and when you do sell
it, which won’t be long, you’ll be a happy chappy or chappette. So other than stock holdings increasing what else can I see us all discussing this year? Without a shadow of a doubt the good old favourite topic of prices will raise its ugly head again. After a huge wave of prices increases across many of our shop floors, brands
