Head PGA Pro Stuart Barrett on Lock Down

 

Stuart Barrett, Head PGA Pro at Wrangaton Golf Club in Devon

Before lock down, Head PGA Pro at Wrangaton Golf Club in Devon, Stuart Barrett, was having a good year. “I’d taken advice from the guys at XPOS, as well as another local golf pro, Stuart Disney, and had made some changes to my buying strategy for the year,” says Stuart, “I’d really looked closely at what I needed to buy for the year ahead in the hope that I wouldn’t end up with much dead stock. Before lock down, I was just starting to see the benefits of that”.

I’m a sole trader and fortunately have been able to carry on working for the last couple of months. My main focus has been to keep trading in some way and bring steady cash into the business to cover existing outgoings.

 

Engaging Members

I wanted to find a way to generate extra revenue that would also help to engage members and stay in touch. One of the main ways I’ve been able to do this is by running several prize draws using various formats and different media to reach as many people as possible.

I started with a bonus ball draw for shop credit as the main prize and sold all of the 59 squares. Members then said they also wanted the chance to win products from the shop and so the next draw cost £10 to enter: I sold 100 tickets.

So far, every draw has sold out and this tactic has really helped give my turnover a boost.  It’s also helped me clear some dead stock, which is great, so I can return to work with a tidier stock room.

The draws have been fantastic.  I still wanted to be able to pay some invoices and didn’t relish the prospect of returning to the shop with debt hanging over the business.

 

Staying in Front of Customers

I am quite active on social media and focus my efforts for the business on Twitter and Facebook. At the beginning of lock down, I started a Facebook Group for Wrangaton members which over 100 signed up to. It’s been a fantastic platform to help us keep in touch and make sure everyone was staying well.  I’ve also been able to use it to update members with news from the club and pro shop, and members have enjoyed a regular quiz and other fun virtual events.

I’m also using Facebook and Instagram for some ‘live’ events which have had a tremendous response.  We get a bit creative with new ideas and it isn’t just our members who are enjoying these alternative competitions: members from other clubs have taken part too, which is a complement, really.

 

Planning to Re-open the Shop

Along with everyone else in the industry, I’m watching for news from England Golf and keeping an eye on any guidelines that are published to help us prepare for reopening.

I’ve bought sanitisers and caution tape for the floor, and fortunately, we have a shop window that we can serve through as an extra precaution.  We have to aim to protect customers and staff as much as we can.

From a business perspective, I’ll be keeping a special eye on the numbers. I won’t be pre-booking any more stock until August, at the earliest, and will be focussing on selling that Spring and Summer stock!

 

Despite most shops being shut, XPOS is still open for business. As well as supporting all XPOS systems during the lock down, we're upgrading users to the all-new fantastic V2, creating Shopify accounts, and development is continually underway to further enhance and improve your sales and stock management solutions. Watch this space!  For any help or queries, or to upgrade to V2, get in touch via the SUPPORT button on our website.