Lean and Green
Tuesday 15 February Trentham Gardens and Monkey Forest, Trentham, Stoke on Trent 10am—4.00pm including locally sourced lunch
This event is aimed at anyone running or thinking of setting up a retail business, particularly rural based or food businesses to explore the “behind the scenes” of local food retail. It is being held at one of the county’s premier tourist attractions.
Susie Keenan an experienced retailer will explain how she sources her products; the retail mark up; whether our producers can make it for the wholesale price; quality and standards and what catches her eye for a product. The session will include:
* Technical pricing —professional advice on how to work out costs accurately; provide a sensitivity analysis; margins and mark ups.
* What sort of packaging should you be aiming for; how to be environmentally responsible and how to sell that fact; how to reduce packaging.
* What are the accreditations producers can use, should they use them and how to go about it.
* Selling the healthy eating option
Programme
9.45 Meet at Brown & Green Trentham Gardens for coffee & welcome.
10.15 Talk and interactive discussion with Susie Keenan, founder of Brown & Green artisan local food store, exploring behind the scenes of local food retail and the importance of location.
11.30 Move to our meeting room in Trentham Monkey Forest.
11.45 ‘Love Food, Hate Waste’: Kate Harrold from Staffordshire Borough Council, on major campaign with retailers (including big stores and town centre outlets such as cafes and pubs) and with consumers. How you can reduce your packaging and save money.
12.45 Locally sourced lunch
1.30 Brief overview of food accreditations, why and whether you should be accredited.
1.45 Technical workshop on pricing your product, the profit margin you should be aiming for, what unexpected costs to expect, your fixed costs, how to control costs, how to carry out a sensitivity analysis so you can ride the changes in the market; and the basics on getting finance in today’s market.
2.45 Healthy eating – can you retail healthy eating? Does it sell? How can you make it sell? Tips for marketing a healthy menu. Kate Harrold
3.45 Closing remarks and departure
Cost: £15 per person, including lunch or £25 for two people from the same business
Funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food Programme, Staffordshire Rural Hub is able to offer this course to all West Midlands food and drink producers
