Independent retailers in Rhyl will be able to showcase their customer service skills and variety of choice as a team of ‘mystery shoppers’ drop in to give the town centre a full retail audit.
The Location Model, designed by Skillsmart Retail, the Sector Skills Council for Retail, is being used to assess the overall shopping experience in the town centre.
This exercise is part of a project being run by Skillsmart Retail and supported by the Welsh Assembly Government’s Sector Priorities Fund Pilot programme that also receives support from the European Social Fund.
Trained market research professionals will visit each participating independent shop in the town twice during October to judge how well they are performing in areas such as customer service, product knowledge and window display. As well as this, 100 shoppers in the town centre will be interviewed to find out how satisfied or dissatisfied they are with the service they receive.
Rhyl town centre itself will also be audited. This will focus on how easy it is for a stranger to shop in the town. Everything from car parking and street signage will be assessed – even the smallest of details such as how easy it is for shoppers to cross roads. The auditor will also assess the location of basic landmarks including the Post Office and library.
Once the information has been gathered, results will be shared with local stakeholders and businesses and used to plan a way forward for the town and discuss how certain areas could be improved.
The Location Model has already been successfully used in more than 80 locations in Great Britain, from Aberdeen to Wrexham.
Cabinet lead member for regeneration and tourism, Councillor David Thomas said: “The Location Model will give all small retailers in Rhyl the opportunity to get a real insight into how they are performing and what customers really think of the service that is offered.
“This is the kind of exercise which is carried out in huge national chains on a regular basis, so to be able to secure this for our small retailers will prove to be a real boost for all those taking part. We are absolutely delighted that over 45 retailers in the town are participating in this project.”
Mark Dixon, Principal Regeneration Manager at Denbighshire, added: “Skills are vital for Rhyl’s retail economy and there will be numerous opportunities to take advantage of training once the Location Model results are received.”
Full results from the Location Model will be revealed at a public event to be held at at Coleg Llandrillo, Cefndy Road on Tuesday, 25th January 2010 at 5.30pm for 6pm. Prizes will be awarded to the businesses which perform best in the mystery shopping.
For more information contact Ed Holmes, Press and PR Officer for Skillsmart Retail, on 020 7462 5576 or at [email protected]
