Macroom shop, between Killarney and Cork City, is typical of small grocery type shops, until recently, common in Ireland.
Last week was Northern Virgina “Retail Week.” I attended several presentations by Marc Wilson, retail expert and consultant to the Virginia Small Business Development Center. A page entitled, “Differentiate the Business” appeared in all three of the events I attended. This can be accomplished by showing how a retailer meets all or some of these criteria:
Answering sets the business owner on the path to the well known “30 second elevator pitch” eventually enabling him to come up with the all important tag line, i.e., Don’t leave home without it. This advice, totally relevant for the business end of a small retailer, also informs the physical elements, consider the speeding Nike logo. Taking this one step further ends up with a store designed to support the retailer’s image and promote the most possible sales. Working out the all important tagline, whether it is actually used or not, may be more difficult than figuring out what it should look like. This rustic little shop found its muse in a can of red paint, thereby outlasting its competition in a shrinking market. No question of differentiation here.