Is your charity ready for Christmas 2019? We’re looking for this year’s best dressed window!

Charity, Christmas, Visual Merchandising

It’s the most important 3 months in the retail calendar, the golden quarter – your most lucrative time of year. Buying customers through the door of your shop in the run up to Christmas is crucial for your Charity in terms of raising much needed funds for the next year ahead. How your window looks will have the greatest impact on reaching your sales targets. Visual merchandising has never been so important and if your charity has attended one of our training days, you already know what a difference it can make. We would love to see you put that training into practice as we’re on the search for the best dressed charity window of 2019!

#acopiabestdressed this Christmas!

Eden Valley’s Light Up A Life Window

We want to recognise the amazing work by staff and volunteers that goes into planning Charity Christmas window displays right across the UK. It’s important to tell your story especially during the festive season, whilst having to work on a tight budget no doubt!! Making the most of donated items as well as bringing imagination and creativity to your shop windows with your Christmas themes isn’t easy. Yet we were overwhelmed with entries last year and so impressed and the ingenious ways in which you all brought Christmas to life. Who can forget Cats Protection’s “live” window of Santa’s knitting!

Do you also remember our stunning winning window from Devon Air Ambulance Trust scooped the top prize with their amazing entry submitted by Kim Veasey and the team at the Dartmouth Vintage shop? Second prize went to Kathy Fisher and the team at Eden Valley Hospice with their beautiful ‘Light Up A Life’ window. We had so many incredible entries, we had to increase the number of prizes! These went to: St Barnabas in Uckfield, Action Cancer in Coleraine, Rennie Grove in Berkhamstead, Age Concern in Leyland, Barnardo’s Vintage, Branching Out, Children’s Society in Shirley, Cat’s Protection in Bridlington, Shelter in Bromwich, Childern’s Society Shoreham On Sea, St Helena Colchester, Support Dogs Grassington, Children’s Society Ashington, and Children’s Society St Albans. We really hope you all enter again this year!

The People’s Vote!

Cat’s Protection Knitting Santa!

For 2019, we are adding a new component to the competition with a People’s Vote. We will still be looking for our top three best charity windows, but we will also be giving you an additional opportunity to win another fabulous prize for your shop, as voted by your local community! It’s a lovely way for your customers to get involved this Christmas.

Competition entry opens on the 16th of October and full details will be available on the day so watch this space! Follow our hashtag #acopiabestdressed and make sure you’re ready! If you enter early, your shop will have more time to accrue the People’s Vote!

It’s your chance to shine this golden quarter and we can’t wait to see what you all come up with this year!

October 1, 2019/by Katherine Dunham

Enter our best dressed charity Christmas window competition!

Charity, Christmas, Retail, Visual Merchandising

We’re looking for the best dressed charity Christmas window of 2018! It’s your opportunity to win £250 of visual merchandising equipment for your store.

As you know, your shop window has the greatest influence in attracting shoppers into your shop so you will have been busy planning your display to make the most of November and December to raise as much money as possible for your cause.

Open to all UK charities and hospices, we would love to see how innovative and ingenious you have been in creating your festive themed windows for 2018.

Charity Christmas Window

This will be your busiest and no doubt the most lucrative time of the year for your shop. You will be competing hard against other big brands on the high street who have considerably larger budgets. Your shop window will play a massive part in encouraging footfall and inspiring people to come inside. Challenging pre-conceptions of charity shops will also be high on your agenda and Christmas is the perfect opportunity to reach a new demographic for example.

Competition details!

In the judging, we will pay special attention to:

Innovative use of recycling and re-purposing items as props to display your donated products
How your window tells a story
Use of colour

Our winner will receive £250 to spend on Visual Merchandising equipment from Acopia for your store:

Looking festive!

From our Street 76 range

Great for display!

Chestnut Tree House Christmas Window

To enter our competition – just send an email letting us know all about the idea behind your theme this year and include up to 5 photographs of your shop window to [email protected] Please submit your entry to us by 12th December 2018.

Our very own Visual Merchandising Trainer, Karen Murray (who has worked with brands such as Selfridges, Marks and Spencer, Gap) will select the winner who will be announced on the 20^th of December.

If you would like to take your Visual Merchandising to the next level in 2019, why not get in touch with us at [email protected] to find out more about our FREE training day!

We know you’ll be excited to get involved so please feel free to share and tag your entries with #acopiabestdressed

Good luck and we look forward to seeing your photographs!

If you would like to find out about your local Visual Merchandising Training with Acopia – get in touch here:

Main Image: British Red Cross

November 6, 2018/by Katherine Dunham

Lean Green Clean – Automate Your Packaging Process

Industrial Packaging, Logistics, Packaging, Protective Packaging, Technology

We are all being asked to do more with less and taking time to review existing operations and processes is the perfect place to start. It maybe just the opportunity to apply new thinking or seek advice in simplifying and streamlining work flow and logistics in the warehouse, gaining greater control and enhanced efficiencies. So if maximising productivity, remaining competitive and creating an agile, responsive packaging operation is important to you for 2019, then being able to automate your packaging process may be the key to not only lowering costs but also a way to introduce safer and leaner working conditions.

Lean Green Clean

Increasing productivity as well as reducing costs are most certainly your key drivers but your end users and customers will also be interested in your process from an environmental aspect. Automating your process still supports you in making those necessary environmental changes in terms of the materials you use for your protective packaging. We supply a number of options for void filling which are all either recyclable by the end user or made from sustainable sources. We also supply machinery that allows you to create your own void filling from card. Whether you require automation for box erection at the start of the process or with strapping and securing prior to despatch, we have an automated solution for you.

Create Protect Secure – Automate

At Acopia – we supply machinery for every step of the process and all equipment is equally at home in a manual packaging setting or integrated as part of a fully automated process. We can identify where to make the optimal changes to your process to yield the greatest results. Experts in packaging and procedure for over 40 years, we work with many clients on process improvement and delivering greater returns on investment. Each setting is unique and the amount of automation needed is different. We don’t adopt a one size fits all approach – we analyse every aspect and suggest change where we know it will make a real difference.

If you would like to know more, please get in touch. Let us know about your current challenges, bottlenecks and headaches and we can help you to achieve effortless automation for your packing line.

October 18, 2018/by Katherine Dunham

e-tape – your answer to saving money in the warehouse

Packaging

As the final quarter of a challenging year approaches, reducing business costs and delivering greater efficiencies in your warehouse will no doubt be high on your list of resolutions for 2019. Did you know that a simple product change to your existing despatch and logistics operation can yield staggering savings both in productivity and cost? The answer lies with e-tape! The humble reel of adhesive tape has been re-imagined and transformed to deliver real business benefits.

How e-tape can work for your business

The clever bit is in the revolutionary redesign of the size of the core. So simple, yet this change has the power to transform the bottom line.

In a recent study, a packing line was observed using standard tape, 66 mm rolls fitted on a core size of 75 mm. Each operator would replace the tape every 39 boxes, on average. What this meant was every 16 minutes, the roll needed to be changed. That’s a great deal of downtime over every day, every week, all year – it all added up.

When e-tape was introduced to this company, the results were startling. The clever core design of 50 mm came into its own. With an increased length of tape on each role due to the smaller core, it meant each roll had two and a half times more tape on every reel!

The results!

What did this mean? For this particular company – it saved 45,000 roll changes in 12 months!

What did it mean every day for the packing line? The rolls only needed to be changed 9 times instead of 20 times a day – which meant the operator could pack up to 10 more boxes a day.

So much more than a roll of tape!

So not only can cost savings be found, but there are also the storage benefits as fewer boxes are required. You can also do your bit for the environment too with an eco-friendly variation. It’s also possible to have tape custom printed as well as the recognisable Fragile etc.

Still need convincing?

Acopia is delighted to bring you this incredible product and we have an excellent offer to get you started. We are so convinced your team will love using this product that we have a special offer on your first order – just call us on 0845 075 6111 to find out more.

Call the team now to start saving or shop e-tape now!

Or fill in the form below and we will be in touch!

Find out more about the survey results

September 14, 2018/by Katherine Dunham

Get a Grip with GripFilm – make packaging faster

Logistics, Protective Packaging

It’s not often a product comes along that completely transforms a way of working that has been common place for years. A way of working that has been cumbersome, onerous and inefficient with associated risks involved. The strength of this new product is in its simplicity, new GripFilm has totally revolutionised the pallet despatch process in terms of time, efficiency and process. We take a closer look at the amazing business benefits this ingenuous little product has to offer!

Take control with GripFilm

There many reasons to consider the GripFilm system. This is a great product to hold and use and it quickly becomes apparent just how many benefits this delivers. Straight away, the film application process is faster and safer. The user can walk forwards around the pallet making it secure very quickly. It completely avoids the user putting themselves in danger walking backwards around the pallet as with traditional applicators. This is so important in a busy warehouse where Health and Safety is of paramount importance. It also eliminates the user from bending over in an effort to stablise the very bottom of the load, the applicator does this effortlessly.

Not only is the applicator lightweight resulting on much faster wrapping, the longer pre-stretched film means fewer roll changes. Gaining a significant reduction in down time means more pallets prepared for despatch faster!

Reducing single use plastic

If you are a company that is concerned with reducing its single use plastics dependency, then this delivers a great alternative to traditional pallet wrap film. A high performance film at just 6-9 microns will out perform traditional film at much higher microns. The result? Less film usage! Our own testing showed up to an 80% reduction in use which is great news for environmental concerns – and your pocket! With less film required, this also helps with a reduced carbon footprint and the associated distribution costs.

Fast, Safe and Efficient

We know that this product is perfect for your busy warehouse. If you would like one of our team to show you how this would work for your operation, we would be delighted to show you a quick no obligation demonstration. You can see for yourself the amazing cost savings and efficiencies that are to be made.

Just complete the form below, telling us a little bit about your current set-up, and we will be glad to come and see you.

August 13, 2018/by Katherine Dunham

What’s the best way to reduce plant losses in nurseries with capillary matting?

Garden centre supplies, Merchandising, Planteria, Retail

Timing is everything when looking after your most valuable asset – your plant stock. Keeping your planteria environment inviting to your customers and looking its best is time consuming. Get this wrong and the result could be a loss of sales due to poorly kept stock. Challenges brought about through maintenance and specifically watering are many. Over watering as well as under watering create their own issues with loss of stock, an unsafe customer environment and plant bench deterioration proves costly all round. Wasted resource on time consuming hand watering as well as the cost of the water itself all add up to continual expense if not optimised efficiently. So what’s the answer? Actually it’s Capillary matting!

Next generation capillary matting

Managing urgent watering in record breaking temperatures in a busy garden nursery when customers need your full attention is a huge challenge. So what is the solution? Recent pioneering testing with capillary matting has achieved some excellent results which are easy to replicate with correct installation and usage.

The key benefits of capillary matting

Water retention 3 litres/m2
Very even water distribution
Excellent water take up by plants
Rapid water absorption
Strong root growth resulting in healthy plants
Reduced risk of disease through no excess water
Reduced water usage
Different thicknesses optimised for different bench types
Easy to clean – can be pressure washed or brushed
UV stabilised

Easy watering with Capillary Matting

This all results in a prolonged bench life for your stock with a system that can be easily adapted to fit any size of bench. Flexible, money saving, low maintenance and can be used for both your indoor and outdoor plant displays.

Tailor made to deliver incredible savings

Matting is made-to-measure to exact bench requirements. As it arrives pre-cut, this reduces installation time. This can be calculated at over £1,000 in labour savings for 100 benches over ordinary capillary installation solutions.

On average, weekly savings have been calculated overall at delivering nearly a £200 reduction per week in watering labour costs as well as over £300 a week in water consumption. As far as plant stock is concerned, garden centres could expect to see a reduction of at least 25% in plant loss.

To see how it works for yourself, talk to your planteria provider who can work out the expected cost savings you could expect to achieve for your own nursery or network.

August 3, 2018/by Katherine Dunham

Grand Store Opening at St Catherine’s Hospice

Charity, Retail

You may have been following progress on our latest shop-fit in Redhill for our client St Catherine’s Hospice. The 27th of April was the culmination of months of hard work and planning, the new shop in Redhill opened its doors to the community for the first time. Acopia had been involved right from the start with the fit-out from an initial site survey – all the way through to the finishing touches a few days before opening. The shop looked immaculate for the open day!

This was quite an extensive renovation and our Fit-Out team were on site for a few weeks. The team started by removing the existing shop furnishings and counters, as well as removing walls and flooring. The vision was to create a bright, bold and airy environment with lots of space for customers to move easily around the shop. It was key the look remained uncluttered with products displayed on smart and modern fittings.

Renovation in progress!

Delicious St Catherine’s Hospice cupcakes – we had a few of those!

The wonderful team at Redhill

The shop started to take shape with new spaces created such as a new modern kitchen bespoke donation sorting area. New flooring was laid, new walls installed and new electrics run. We then highlighted some of the walls with St Catherine’s Hospice trademark brand colour – their wonderful bright and cheerful orange. We installed a modern twin slot system which worked very well in the space and with the diverse nature of donated products.

Wayne Stepney, Retail Manager at St Catherine’s Hospice, with Acopian Account Director Keith Gilbert.

The first transaction through the till!

With eager customers waiting outside, the doors opened and the shop was was inundated with shoppers keen to support their local hospice. There was a queue at the till within minutes which was a very proud moment for Wayne Stepney, Retail Development Manager, and his team to see after the long months of planning.

Acopia were thrilled to not only complete the shop-fit but to also be invited to the opening itself. We are delighted to hear that the shop had a very successful first weekend. We know from our clients that our shop fits deliver great return on investment and we shall be returning very soon to catch up with the wonderful team at Redhill.

If you would like to talk to us about your next shop-fit, just call us on 0845 075 6111 and we would be delighted to chat to you.

May 3, 2018/by Katherine Dunham

Visual Merchandising Day At Acopia

Visual Merchandising, Charity, Retail, Retail consumables, Shop Fit

Our goal at Acopia has always been to look at procurement and process from our client’s side of the table and how we can establish meaningful partnerships that allow us to support their growth and return on investment. Looking to add value and constantly anticipate our customer’s needs really sets us apart. When focusing on the Charity Retail Sector, we felt that by introducing some free support would really help shops gain traction in their communities. Providing a working knowledge of Visual Merchandising could really help to transform retail spaces to encourage more footfall and purchases.

Getting it right

We are very lucky to be invited to the Hospice UK Retail Steering Group to launch the idea and gain feedback from the group to help tailor the training. It was important to us that the training was to be relevant, provide solutions – as well as being enjoyable! The idea was greeted very enthusiastically by the group and we were delighted to be able to provide a much needed service and collaborative support.

The training was held at our Head Office in sunny Bognor Regis! We had representatives from 8 Charities attend the training which examined the principles of Visual Merchandising such as how to create an impactful window, thinking about the customer journey around the store, positioning products for impulse purchases, space planning, colour blocking – and loads more! It was also a great networking opportunity as attendees were able to discuss and swap new ideas with fellow charities.

Our group were keen to explore how the basic principles could be applied to their own retail spaces and were able to take time with our trainer to discuss specific in-store challenges and look at planning their space better.

Learning into practice

Well dressed mannequins!

The winning table top display! Tables from our Street 76 display Range

Our Street 76 Display Ladder

The afternoon was dedicated to putting it all into practice! The group had lots fun diving into our products from our Street 76 display range and the props (all from local charities!) to create table top displays and dress mannequins. We were keen to replicate the typical products that Charities receive everyday and learn to understand how to make the most of donated product. We rounded off the day with a competition for the best dressed mannequin and display!

We had some great feedback from the day:

“Relevant content and inspirational ideas” “Great energy from the presenter” “I have learnt a lot and have some great ideas to take back to our stores”

If you like the sound of some learning more about Visual Merchandising and what benefits this could bring to your Charity retail estate – please just get in touch. We’d love to hear from you and help you to achieve more from your stores!

Call Jake Elkins on 0845 075 6111 for more information and details on our next FREE course.

April 6, 2018/by Katherine Dunham

How can I gain or improve customer loyalty?

Customer experience, Retail, Rewards Scheme

Loyalty schemes are seeing something of a renascence with 64% of brands reporting an increase in memberships over the past year. A lot has to do with the fact that schemes are certainly a lot more sophisticated than they used to be. As more and more retailers understand that the retail landscape is changing and move towards a more omnichannel model, programs can record every customer interaction with their brand, building better profiles to enable greater insights than ever possible before. This allows for more personal marketing to effectively lock-in customer loyalty.

We take a look at how the traditional image and offering of the ‘reward scheme’ has changed and why customers are keen to embrace this like never before.

Loyalty driven through personalisation

A trip to the shops

This is the main driver of acceptance of loyalty schemes and there is a distinct connection between being able to offer this and achieving customer satisfaction. Consumers want to feel like they are an individual, that they receive unique and bespoke offers based on their shopping preferences and buying habits. Being able to deliver these personal experiences with frequent seemingly tailored communications keeps customers engaged and anticipating the next brand ‘message’.

Connecting brands

Making the loyalty scheme even more compelling is where brands deliver in greater value to their customers when connecting with partners. This allows strategic partners to reach a new audiences and deliver something really unique to their customer base. It really helps to ‘extend’ the brand in the customer’s eyes with matched special offers.

Behaving responsibly

When 81% of millennial’s expect the brands they ‘adopt’ to go beyond just generating profit – they want to buy-in to the brand itself and are determined to hold them socially responsible. Almost 66% of consumers are willing to pay more for products and services if the company is committed to reducing their environmental impact for example. Brands need to do more than simply say they stand for their core values, they need to be seen to living up to them. Creating brand ambassadors through an environment of responsible behaviour creates an emotional connection to the brand-and your opportunity to create customers for life. If you need greater footfall – make your scheme reward instore visits. It’s a fabulous way to incentivise your customer’s spend with you and keep them spending!

Statistics from Marketing Land, Crowd Twist

March 28, 2018/by Katherine Dunham

Making the most of your GNFR spend

GNFR, Goods Not For Resale, Procurement, Retail consumables

GNFR can typically represent over 25% of a retailer’s operating cost. That’s a significant investment with no direct income generated from this outlay. Whilst Goods For Resale (GFR) undergoes intense scrutiny to ensure the best possible returns, cost optimisation for GNFR, in the most part, is rarely approached in the same manner. What does this mean? A huge opportunity for retailers!

Making the most of your GNFR strategy is not just a case of simply clamping down on costs and slashing budgets – it actually requires an entirely different approach. Embracing a holistic attitude is key to its success as this needs to be championed across the business. Harnessing the power of optimising GNFR and adopting best practice can deliver real savings.

What is GNFR?

There is a misconception that GNFR purely consists of simple products such as carrier bags or cleaning items – it is actually more far reaching than that. A typical retailers GNFR shopping list could look something like this: packaging, first aid equipment, safety clothing, kitchen and bathroom essentials, anti-theft devices, stationery, POS/check out systems, branded consumables, signage, labelling, shop fittings and merchandise display solutions.

The scope to save on valuable resources such as time and money are considerable. The reality is that a retailer could be working with a huge number of suppliers to achieve this ‘shopping list’, having to negotiate costs and terms, organising product research, purchase orders, deliveries, invoicing, returns a multiple of times – when time is money, is this really the best approach?

Creating Order out of Chaos

Consolidating the whole procurement process can dramatically free up internal resource as well as driving down hard and soft costs. All product expenditure can be ratified and sourced through one preferred supplier. The associated hidden ‘soft costs’ (administration and procurement process time) can be virtually eliminated. The price paid for products ‘hard costs’ can also be reduced as well as delivery expenditure. Receiving products with one delivery with one invoice from one supplier can save thousands of pounds a year.

Finding a supplier with a vast portfolio that can cater for a complete range of products and essentials is rare – but they do exist! Do your homework to find out if they supply products relevant to your business and continue to innovate to add real value for you. And of course, do your due diligence on making sure the time you are saving isn’t lost on high pricing – it needs to work for you.

July 26, 2017/by Katherine Dunham

When is it time for a retail makeover?

Fit Out, Retail, Shop Fit

When your retail space first opened – it was bright, fresh, shiny and welcoming. It stocked the latest must-have products, lovingly displayed and was the place to go – people just loved to shop with you. Now all that seems to have changed – so how can you revitalise your retail space and get your customers flooding back in? How do you know if it’s time for a retail makeover? Here’s our top 5 guide to knowing if it’s time to make a change!

How is the space layed out?

Optimising your space is a science, especially when it is at a premium. Thinking about customer flow through the space and how they can interact with your products is key. Assessing what will work, creating the correct ambience for the outlet to encourage those extra sales from casual browsing all works to maximise those opportunities. Working with an expert in customer flow and product placement can really deliver an enormous return on investment.

Is your store consistent?

What does your store say to your customers? Is your signage, for example, the same throughout or are some in colour, black and white, computer generated or even handwritten? Do you have a brand theme for all your displays? Signage, display solutions and mannequins should all work together in a polished harmonious look to support your brand.

How do customers react to your products?

Are your displays crammed full of products that don’t invite customers to interact with them? Is it all shown in the same way with nothing standing out as key product promotion areas. If it overwhelms your customers, the likelihood they will leave without purchasing. Take a step back and a fresh look at your displays – what do you see?

Does Your Store Look Past It Best?

Retail thrives on bringing customers the very latest trends. It’s all about What’s New? Just as music and clothes fade in and out of fashion – store interiors have style trends too. What looked great in 2019 might be starting to looka bit tired today. Take an honest look – is it in need of a refresh?

Are Your Sales Suffering?

Business does not need to be dire straits to benefit from a makeover, stagnant sales are the first sign something may be wrong. Strike now whilst customers are still coming through the door so they can tell like minded friends about your latest look! Show it all off on facebook and instagram and even have a grand re-opening! Incentivise it by offering a free gift for the first 10 people through the door on open day.

Working with an industry expert can really help you look at your retail space objectively and work with you to achieve a great result. Choices in colour and lighting as well as help with effective display and fittings will all pay dividends at the till! Is it time for your retail makeover?

June 15, 2017/by Katherine Dunham

4 things to think about when selecting packaging for a product

Packaging, Protective Packaging

Choosing the perfect packaging for your product is as important as your product and your product design itself. Packaging that is both consumer friendly, cost effective and has the protection capabilities you require can be difficult to source.

Our quick tips can help you focus on how to determine what’s right for you!

Set Your Budget

Before you even start your selection process, you need to think about how much you are planning to spend on protecting your product. Once you have defined a cost, this will determine what options are open to you in terms of materials, the quality of the packaging and if there is money to spend on printing or making the most of bespoke opportunities.

Think About Your Product

You will also need to consider your product. Would it be vulnerable in minimal protective packaging? Is it fragile and easy to crush? If the answer is yes – you will need to think about a more robust material to keep it safe in transit. If your product is food produce, for example, you will need to think about the best packaging methods and materials that will keep your food fresh and prevent contamination.

How Are You Transporting Your Product?

How your is being stored and transported is another area for consideration. Is it going by post, courier or air freight for example? Will it need to be stored in a freezer or temperature controlled conditions? Is your chosen packaging be robust enough to withstand this duress. You may need to invest in testing your packaging in these environments to ensure it can still perform.

Does the packaging reflect your brand?

Finally, does your packaging reflect your product as well as your brand? If your company core value is in support of the environment, you will need to make sure your packaging is recyclable – customers and end users would expect to see this. Your brand values should not just be empty words, it’s the foundation of your company and product line.

Maybe what you require is not an off the shelf product and you need some help in innovative packaging design and functionality. You can see some useful hints and tips to start the process of bespoke packaging here.

Talk to your provider about all the options available to you to ensure your packaging not only makes an impact, it keeps to your core values too.

May 15, 2017/by Katherine Dunham

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