Services to Retailers

Strategic Planning
- Develop the Mission Statement
- Position the Business
- Develop and Carry out Action Plans

Merchandise Management
- Positioning
- Product Selection and Development
- Pricing: Volume-Margin-Velocity-Markdown Strategies
- Inventory Management
- Open to Buy Program Management

Personnel
- Policies, Procedures and Programs
- Employee Handbooks
- Benefits
- Training

Sales and Marketing Systems
- Vendor Relationships and Strategies
- Payables Management

Preparing Your Business for Sale
- Valuing Your Business
- Ownership Changes

How WTC Works with Retailers

After engagement, we ask for detailed information on the existing or proposed business: business plans, financial statements, personnel and their experience, sales history and projections, and any plans, manuals, or policy books available. We ask you to send anything which might help us understand you before our first visit.

Management Review
A management review is an excellent way to begin our working relationship. In interviews with the owners, managers, key employees and selected others, we ask:

• Is the vision shared top to bottom?
• Does the company operate the way it plans to and says is does?
• Are the written and stated rules undermined by unwritten rules?
• Do personnel at all levels know what they are doing and feel that they are valued?

This is an excellent opportunity to discover gaps in enthusiasm, loyalty, and culture. Most information is placed in an open file that will be shared with management, but some may be collected in a closed file which is confidential.

This review can be completed in 1 to 2 days for most businesses.

Inventory Management Review
Most retail businesses manage their inventory at one extreme or the other. Some have too much, because they have adequate capital and use purchasing power to increase profitability. However, they may limit their ability to respond quickly to changing trends, and they may be viewed as ultra- conservative or as bulk buyers by their vendors.

At the other extreme, some manage their inventory too tightly, often because of undercapitalization. When any delay in deliveries occurs, business is lost and potential reduced.

We help retailers to have the right amount of inventory on hand, when it is needed.

The inventory management review can be completed in about 1 day.

At the end of the reviews, we deliver our Summary Report, presenting information gathered and preliminary recommendations for action. Then we talk about management’s needs and wants for the near and mid terms, and decide what the next steps will be. At this stage we create actions plans and assign responsibilities and timelines for completion.

References

Our company has benefited greatly from Wendall's skills. Since he started assisting us our growth has accelerated, expenses have been tamed and morale has improved.
Matthew Curtis, Cadillac Mountain Sports

He can access what needs to be done and facilitate its implementation without wasting time and energy. Wendall's many years in the outdoor industry make his counsel invaluable.
Norm Cavallaro, North Cove Outfitters

One Canadian retailer said, "We were in a tough place and he helped us turn around and solve several important problems."

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

WTC Consultants

Wendall L. Tremblay
PO Box 93
Orono, ME 04473
207-866-0162
Fax: 207-866-0163
wendalltre@aol.com

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