We meet the woman who is helping to launch the Senior Shop clothing business in the UK
Rebecca O’Malley has recently launched Senior Shop in the UK. The company is a specialist retailer delivering high quality clothing to seniors in the comfort of their own surroundings.
Rebecca is the Regional Master Franchisee for the South East and has been operating her company-owned franchise since 2013. We caught up with Rebecca to see how things are going:
WF: What first attracted you to Senior Shop?
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RO’M: It was different from other franchise opportunities I had read about. The concept seemed to make so much sense and filled such an obvious gap in the market. I liked the fact it had been operating since 1997 and was operating in five countries with over 60 franchises. This gave me the reassurance of longevity and steady growth, confirming that the business concept was sound.
WF: How much prior experience of franchising had you had?
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RO’M: None.
WF: Why did you become a Regional Master Franchisee, rather than a franchisee?
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RO’M: My husband and I wanted a bigger challenge and capital return than just running an individual franchise unit. Importantly, we were looking to build a business where ultimately we would have more time to spend with our three children, while generating a very good income.
WF: What convinced you that things would work?
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RO’M: During the early stages of exploring the business opportunity, I visited Sweden and met some of their franchisees and saw them in action with their customers. I was impressed by the whole concept, especially the quality of the clothes and the positive response from the customers. I had long and frank telephone conversations with other Master Franchisers and asked them as many questions as I could. Knowing there were 60-plus franchises in operation across Sweden, Norway, Germany, Finland and Denmark gave me confidence there was a very good chance the concept would also work well in the UK.
WF: What sort of training and support have you received for your role as a Master Franchisee?
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RO’M: I had a five-day training programme in Sweden with the franchise owner, Bengt Permevik, and some of his Swedish colleagues. This involved spending time in the Senior Shop offices, going through some basic manuals, undertaking some field visits and receiving helpful instruction. I found Bengt and his team to be very approachable and they always made themselves available to provide advice. I have also made friends with buyers and franchisees in the other countries and they have always been open to me calling on them for information and advice.
WF: What do you think are the key aspects of your experience and background that equip you for the role of Master Franchisee?
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RO’M: As the first Master Franchiser in the UK, I have had to rely on my previous marketing experience, general office management skills and bookkeeping experience. Many of the things I have had to do, such as develop the seniorshop.co.uk website, produce the franchisee prospectus and select stock management and till systems, shouldn’t need to be repeated by future Master Franchisers, but my previous experience and background certainly helped me with these initial, time consuming, but very necessary tasks. I see my role going forward as setting standards, leading, supporting, guiding, directing and motivating my team of franchisees.
WF: What sort of response have you had from residential and other facilities for seniors to the Senior Shop service?
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RO’M: People are always impressed with the ‘shop’ when they first set eyes on it. At the first visit to a venue people don’t expect such a large offering of stylish clothes on such good quality and extendable rails, or that the ‘shop’ is so professionally displayed and managed, with fully itemised printed receipts and the ability to accept credit and debit cards.
The clothes are very good quality and at the higher end of high street store prices, so the Senior Shop offering isn’t ideal for every venue or customer. But so many people have commented to me what a great idea the business is and how wonderful it is to be able to browse, try on and shop without having to battle their way down the high street or through a busy shopping mall. For many people confined by their infirmity, Senior Shop is the only opportunity they have to select and conveniently purchase good quality clothes for themselves.
WF: Given your experience to date, if you knew at the time you decided to invest in Senior Shop what you know now, would you make the same decision again?
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RO’M: I would, but I would allow myself to operate my own unit for two full seasons before bringing other franchisees on board. There is so much to learn and experience and the focus for at least the first season has to be on making contacts, making appointments and visiting as many different types of venue as possible, so that your experience can be passed onto your future franchisees.
WF: Have there been any surprises since you started to trade?
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RO’M: I didn’t realise how many sheltered housing complexes there are in my area. Now that I am looking out for them, I see signs for retirement apartments all over the place. The number of these is only going to increase over the coming years, as the population of the over-55s increases. They have proved to be good selling venues for me and that is good news for the growth of Senior Shop in the UK.
WF: How have you found product supply? How did you decide on what styles would be suitable for the UK?
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RO’M: All the goods have arrived without problems. They nearly all arrived before the season started or during the first week of September. The initial clothes selection for my pilot unit was made before I started with Senior Shop and not all those items sold well. However, having now run my own pilot unit throughout the autumn and winter I have a clearer idea of what works here, so when I select the range for the coming autumn season I am confident I will make the right buying decisions.
As I am still learning, I have been working closely with buyers in the other Senior Shop countries, some of whom have been buying successfully for over 10 years. However, I am now starting to build my own relationships with UK agents of the main fashion houses. I will be able to learn from them about which styles and colours work best here.
WF: Are you enjoying your new business?
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RO’M: Very much. I believe Senior Shop will be a very successful business and well-known brand in the UK in the coming years and I am excited to be in at the start of it.
