The series is made up of two workshops in each nominated region forming part of the Victorian Government’s Streetlife initiative. Participating areas include Melbourne, Melton, Whittlesea, Casey, Maroondah, Greater Geelong, Greater Bendigo, Wangaratta, Ballarat and Latrobe.
The Streetlife program supports the growth of small retail business in suburban and regional strip shopping precincts.
Senior Retail Consultant Gary Terrill says that the Streetlife initiative, which has been running since 1997, aims to reinvigorate commercial precincts, boost the state’s economy, creating employment and further business opportunities.
“The Building Business Skills for Retailers program consists of four modules covering buying and stock management, financial forecasting, store layout and visual merchandising, advertising and promotions, store systems, policies and procedures, and retail customer service.”
“The program arms smaller retailers with additional knowledge and skills to better run their business in a competitive marketplace.”
Participants who have been through the program agree. In a course evaluation survey conducted after training, most respondents said that the course content was relevant to their work environment and they felt that they had come away from the program learning new skills which could be applied to improving their businesses. A number of respondents particularly commented on how the program highlighted the importance of visual merchandising. Tricks of the trade such as identifying dead stock and reinvigorating old stock without reducing the price drastically were considered to be some of the most useful tips for improving business.
Respondents also remarked on the trainer’s energy, effectiveness and ability to present the material in an easy to follow format.
Mr Terrill says that the program’s success to date can also be attributed to the support and sponsorship of the Victorian Government, POS Partners – the leading re-seller of Microsoft’s Point of Sale systems, Epson and Bill Express.
Below is a list of upcoming dates and locations for the program.
The Building Business Skills for Retailers – Coming Workshops | |||
| Marketing Mentone – April 10 Melbourne CBD – May 1 Box Hill – May 2 Melton – May 17 Geelong – May 21 Bendigo – May 22 Warrnambool – June 5 Wangaratta – June 18 | Customer Service Traralgon – April 10 Ballarat – April 11 Bayswater – April 17 South Morang – April 18 Mentone – May 8 Melbourne CBD – 29 May Box Hill – 30 May Melton – 14 June Geelong – 18 June Bendigo – 19 June | Retailing Profitably Traralgon – April 10 Ballarat – April 11 Bayswater – May 15 South Morang – May 16 Mentone – June 12 Geelong – June 18 Bendigo – June 19 Melbourne CBD – June 26 Box Hill – June 27 | Visual Merchandising Melton – April 19 Warrnambool – May 8 Geelong – May 21 Bendigo – May 22 Wangaratta – 18 June |
