General merchandiser Coopers of Stortford is planning to further
develop its existing store and seek locations for new outlets,
having recently appointed Steve Williams as director of retail
and retail development (issue 154).
“Despite the credit crunch and general downturn in the high
street, the company has continued to enjoy strong growth this
year,” said chief executive Neil Cooper. The company
achieved 20 per cent year-on-year organic growth in the first four
months of the fiscal year.
The 25,000-sq-ft flagship store has evolved since it opened four
years ago. “We’re fairly new to retail, but the good thing
about that is that we had no rules-we could do what we
wanted,” said Cooper. The business has tweaked its range
planning, pricing, own-brand offer, store layout and packaging
materials over the years.
“We see retail as an important part of our multichannel
strategy and our plan is to profitably grow our retail business
from £2 million in 2008 to £4 million in 2010,”
Cooper said.
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