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Triton conference special: Former retailer attacks shoddy standards
Nappy changing on the counter and dogs sniffing customers were just two of the scenes that greeted former retailer Andrew Dickson when he visited independents.
The consultant, who formerly owned Bolton-based St Andrew’s Travel, said elsewhere he saw staff drinking out of cans and was ignored for a full 15 minutes in one agency.
Dickson said some independents were simply not good enough and called upon Triton to impose minimum standards on agencies.
“These people are letting down the whole independent sector. Perhaps Triton should say that everyone should have minimum standards for décor and service, and if they don’t meet them, they’re out.
“Many of them ignore you and have the old ‘golden shot’ approach to handing out brochures – they just point at them and say ‘up a bit, left a bit, right a bit, there it is.â€
Dickson said that independent agents had often performed very badly when secret checks were carried out on them.
“We continue to see abysmal performances from agents and multiples are consistently better, albeit in a formulated way.â€
Dickson told agents that everything in their shops reflected on them and they should draw up a checklist of tasks to ensure they offered a professional service.
He claimed competition on the high street was getting easier.
“In Bolton, there used to be 52 agencies and now there are 17, because of consolidation and failures. That’s not great news for those that have gone, but it’s fantastic news for those that are still around.â€
Dickson said he was surprised to hear members asking what Triton could do for them in the future.
“In the past, we were beaten up every day. We had to deal with operators every day but now you have strength in numbers. You can tell them to bog off.â€
by Jeremy Skidmore (www.jeremyskidmore.com)
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