shop talk 8

Putting volunteering at the heart of health and social care Issue 8 Summer 2010

Shop talk

A is for apple B is for banana C is for carrot

D is for date E is for essential oils

F is for fig G is for grape H is for hazelnut

I is for iceberg lettuce J is for juice

The A-Z of healthy eating. Become an Attend Healthy Options Champion and promote healthy snacks in your Friends outlet.

2 Shop Talk | Issue 8 Summer 2010

Shop Talk is published by Attend Retail

Written and edited by: David Elcock and Liberty Rowley at Attend

Cover Design by: Natasha Friend

Send your letters, retail news, questions, feature ideas and feedback to: [email protected]

Advertising If you represent a company whose services may benefit Attend Retail’s member outlets please contact [email protected]

In this issue:

Attend, 11-13 Cavendish Square London, W1G 0AN Tel: 0845 450 0285 Fax: 0207 307 2571 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.attend.org.uk

©2010 Attend. A company limited by guarantee registered in England under no. 5713403 and in Scotland under no. SCO39237. Registered Charity no. 1113067.

Welcome to Shop Talk and the new team!

Contact details

Shop Talk

• Become a Healthy Eating Champion

• Take part in trials with leading suppliers

• Win an Attend Retail Award• Provide emergency toiletries• Stock your shop with great

greetings cards• Catch up with Friends Shops• Re-brand your shop/cafe • Place orders with ease.

At Attend Retail we have a number of shop fitting partners to help you achieve the latest in modern shop design. Blow & Scrimshaw (B&S) have recently carried out shop fitting for the Medway Maritime Hospital Friends with the new Friends Shop branding.

Like all our shop fitters, B&S are fully briefed in implementing the new Friends Shop and Friends Cafe brand. The aim of this brand is to get greater collective recognition for the fantastic work of Friends retail across the UK. There are over 300 outlets from as far north as the Outer Heberedies and as

far south as the Channel Islands. However, there is no consistent look to any of these outlets. Therefore customer loyalty to the collective charity work of the members is not maximised. Imagine if all Friends Shops and Cafes had a similar look and feel, the benefits would be massive! More recognition of your work, more charitable income generated, more customer loyalty and higher standards in retail excellence.

To compare quotes, contact both our shop fitters: www.blowandscrimshaw.com and: www.nexusinteriors.co.uk

Adopt the new Friends brand

It’s goodbye from me! I will not be directly running Attend Retail any more and will be moving into a new area of Attend. But I have not moved far, I will now be focusing

on the Attend Healthy Options project. This project promotes the government’s Change4Life and 5-A-Day schemes within Friends Shops, providing customers with fruit and vegetables as a healthy alternative snack as part of a balanced diet.

Over recent years Attend Retail has gradually increased the services we offer to Attend members, from branded uniforms to discounts on stock and retail partner services.

With this in mind we’ve got a new team taking on the running of Attend Retail so that we can offer all of the current services and start to grow more.

So we searched for a team that could not only support the ongoing delivery of Attend Retail but could also be there to support these transitions.

So, hello to the new team and services! Pat and Darren have over 22 years

experience in the voluntary sector working directly with retail and catering services in the NHS. They will continue to be available for all your queries, as well as offering a range of services including:

• Merchandising support and training• Attend Retail attendance at Trust and

landlord meetings• Input and advice into shop design and

support engaging contractors• Project management• Negotiations with the NHS Estate

Department• Lease or contract support• Tender or proposal development and

delivery• New services development, start up and

commissioning.

I would like to thank all of you for your support over the past few years and to wish you all the best with your work in the future.

Regards,

Contacting Attend Retail

Contact the new team on: Email: [email protected] Tel: 0845 4500285

3Shop Talk | Issue 8 Summer 2010

News

Attend is promoting healthy eating and we want you to get involved!

The Attend Healthy Options pilot project is being run in London and the South East, so if you have a retail outlet in this area we can help you to promote the healthy eating message to your customers.

Attend Healthy Options will increase availability of fresh fruit and vegetables across all the Friends retail outlets and increase customer awareness of healthier eating through attractive displays and posters, healthier food category plannogrammes, staff and volunteer training and marketing.

Leading doctors think that urgent action is needed to curb Britain’s addiction to unhealthy food and help halt spiralling rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease which are putting a strain on the NHS. Professor Terence Stephenson, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said that eating unhealthy food should be seen to be just as damaging as smoking or binge drinking.

“Thirty years ago, it would have been inconceivable to have imagined a ban on smoking in the workplace or in pubs, and yet that is what we have now. Are we willing to be just as courageous in respect of obesity? I would suggest that we should be,” said Prof. Stephenson,

So whether you run a shop, café, kiosk, ward trolley shop or vending we want your support in making Attend Healthy Options a success!

Friends Retail is, ultimately, all about caring. We support hospitals with fundraising, but, can also do our bit to improve the health of our customers and the community. By helping to promote taking care of ourselves, we can stay healthier for longer. Healthy Options is a great initiative for Friends to get involved with, it supports people who use the hospital and the community as a whole.

We need Volunteer Healthy Options Champions from your outlets.

Attend Healthy Options promotes healthy eating options using the Department of Health’s Change4Life and 5-A-Day campaigns within hospitals through Friends retail outlets.

We started this process at the recent Attend South East Conference. The project was met with great enthusiasm, soliciting our first Healthy Options Champions.

Become an Attend Healthy Options Champion

Become a Healthy Options ChampionWe are recruiting Volunteer Healthy Options Champions to promote the Healthy Options messages within their retail outlets and their local hospital.

As a Healthy Options Champion you would champion healthy eating and promote the Government’s 5-A-Day and Change4Life campaigns. You would be responsible for ensuring that your retail outlet promoted the healthier options with shop plannogrammes and displays.

If you are interested in joining us and promoting healthy eating ideas within your retail outlet and local hospital, please contact David Elcock on Tel: 0845 4500285 Email: [email protected] Or visit: www.attend.org.uk

Illustration by Natasha Friend


News

Increase your sales, learn trade secrets

and win prizes!Across the UK there are over 300 Attend member retail outlets in hospital and community locations. Every day, volunteers and paid staff rise early to receive deliveries, stack shelves, load trolleys and boil kettles readying themselves to serve patients, visitors and staff. As they go about these tasks, freely giving of their time, their activities not only raise much needed funds for the charities work, but their friendly smiles and listening ears provide a priceless service in making a hospital a more friendly human place to visit and work.

Nominate your group to take part in the awards, there are awards for outlets, staff and volunteers.

Attend Retail Category Champion AwardThe Attend Retail Category Champion Awards are designed not only to celebrate success and commitment, but also invest in Friends Retail across the UK. In partnership with our award sponsors and retail partners we have devised a number of categories.

Those categories are:• Confectionery - sponsored by Mars• Soft Drinks - sponsored by GSK• Children’s Confectionery - sponsored by

Barratt’s

These three Awards require your group to nominate themselves to take part in a 3-4 week trial with the category sponsors.

The Wow! Factor Award (Visually most

impressive outlet)Do you have a shop, café, kiosk, retail trolley, charity shop that has that special WOW! Factor? If so why not enter for the WOW! Factor Award.

Volunteering AwardFor highest average retail volunteer hour contribution per group per week. Attend believes in celebrating any activity that puts volunteering at the heart of health and social care.

Young Retail Volunteer of the YearThis award is aimed at recognising the importance of young volunteers (aged 30 or younger) to the success of Friends retail and to encourage more young volunteers to come forward.

Retail Volunteer of the Year AwardThis award is aimed at recognising the importance of volunteers to the success and essence of Friends retail activities. This Award is for a volunteer who has shown exceptional commitment and performance, and made a measurable difference to the shop/café/trolley where he/she works.

Paid Person of the YearThis award is aimed at recognising the sterling work that paid members of staff also contribute to the success and essence of Friends retail activities. This Award is for a paid staff member who has shown exceptional commitment and performance, and made a measurable difference to the shop/café/trolley where he/she works.

Attend Healthy Options Award This award is aimed at encouraging healthy eating in Friends Shops. Tell us what you have done to encourage your customers to make a healthier choice of snack, your promotions and special offers.

Nominate for the Attend Retail Awards 2010

Nominate your shopTo nominate your retail outlet for a Retail Award, visit our website at: www.attend.org.uk or contact David Elcock, Attend Retail Manager on Tel: 0845 4500285


News

Attend Retail’s new courtesy toiletry packs are already a huge success. The Freshen Up! packs can contain everything you need for an unexpected overnight stay in hospital; a toothbrush and tooth paste, disposable biodegradable face cloth, soap, shampoo, shower gel, pocket tissues, a razor and shaving cream.

They have been specially designed by Attend for Friends groups and other organisations and can be purchased either to be sold on to hospital patients, or handed out free as a promotional tool for your group. The Freshen Up! packs can be customised to contain a message and even a donation or volunteer recruitment form for your group.

Attend has already found that there is interest from non-member groups, groups

who help out when large groups of people are temporarily evacuated from their home, such as in the case of flood or fire.

Freshen Up! packs have a bright and cheerful design and are priced from 61p + P&P depending on contents.

The packs are packed and distributed by Attend member group Business Opportunities for the Physically Handicapped (B.O.P.H), opened in 1995, they provide the physically handicapped and those with learning difficulties with a normal working environment, after they leave school.

B.O.P.H are printing and packing the Freshen Up! toiletry packs and posting them out to Friends groups.

Friends of Mayday Hospital order 7,000

Freshen Up packs a year and give them out for free to those admitted to A&E. Gill Cripps of the Friends was very pleased when their packs were delivered: “Good news! I received an email from the A&E housekeeper yesterday afternoon to say the toiletry packs had arrived and she is very pleased with them. I am delighted. A big “thank you” to you.”

Freshen Up! Courtesy toiletry packs

Order nowIf you would like to order Freshen Up! toiletry packs for your group, please contact Debbie Baverstock on: 0845 4500285 or email: [email protected]

Mock up of the Freshen Up! pack, the new designs are at the manufacturers now!


Attend Retail is working in Partnership with Palmer & Harvey’s Plus Extra scheme to simplify the way you pay for your direct to store suppliers.

So what are the benefits of Plus Extra?

Choice There are over 250 suppliers available in over 40 Categories.

Convenience One consolidated weekly statement on all your purchases makes it unbelievably easy to run your store. You are guaranteed 14 days credit and there is just one weekly direct debit. If there is anything wrong with your statement there is one number to call: 08432 168 808.

Value It is free to join, you don’t have to have a P&H delivered wholesale account which is an exclusive offer only available through Attend Retail.

SavingsSave money as Plus Extra and Attend Retail have negotiated special discounts with leading brands: up to 15% off Kerry Foods, 10% off Hovis, 12% off Peters Foods and their milk pricing is cheaper than going direct!

Exclusive Deal with Kerry Foods. Attend Retail have negotiated 15% off over 50 products that are available on Kerry’s Vans, which include Sandwiches and Pastries. With Sale or Return available on these key lines, and no need to order, it couldn’t be easier.

Choice, ease, convenience, time saving and greater profits for your charity, don’t miss out on this exclusive Attend Retail opportunity.

However, don’t just take our word for it, 11 Friends Retail outlets already benefit from Plus Extra.

Extra choice, ease, convenience, Plus Extra profits

Derek’s recommendation“We have been benefiting from the P&H Plus Extra service for over four years. The service is excellent, both in simplifying our payment processes with many suppliers and the customer support provided. The direct debit payment system has meant there has never been an interruption to the supply chain and any other issues are dealt with swiftly on our behalf by the Plus Extra team. The healthy discounts negotiated by Plus Extra and Attend Retail, mean we raise more money to support our hospital.”

Derek Soper the Treasurer of Friends of Milton Keynes

Sign up for a great dealCurrent P&H account holders will have received two letters recently about Plus Extra. To sign up at no cost, ensure that you return your completed Plus Extra application form in the pre-paid envelope. For those that are not current P&H customers please call the Plus Extra helpline for more information or to sign up: 08432 168 808. Please state that you are a member of Attend to qualify.

Attend Retail have also negotiated and unprecedented deal which allows all Attend members to use Plus Extra even if they do not have a P&H Main Account. So don’t delay sign up today. For more info call: 08432 168 808

Water, water everywhere...

The League of Friends of the Royal Berkshire Hospital are not only raising money to provide important equipment and services to their local hospital, but are providing clean water for African villages too!

The Friends Shop now only sells One Water, a brand that was set up to raise awareness and money for areas of Africa where access to clean water is extremely limited.

The profits raised by One Water, are spent installing pumps providing free, clean water to villages in Africa improving the lives of

millions of people. The Friends hope to raise enough money within the year to have a water pump named after the group!

News

Order One Water nowOne Water is available from Attend Retail partners Peros (see advert) and Palmer & Harvey. P&H order codes:3868 One Water Sparkling 500ml3888 One Water Still 1.5Ltr23882 One Water Still 500ml8270 One Water Still 75cl

From left; Calum Harbour, on work experience from Highdown school, Becci Maslen and Martin Butler of the League of Friends.


News

Want to stock greetings cards, but can’t afford the outlay? Now you can!

“I’ve been stocking Original Poster Company cards for about four years.” Says Anne Frost the Shop Manager for the League of Friends Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre. “The cards are really popular with staff, patients and visitors alike.”

Original Poster Company has been trading for 19 years and supply a large range of everyday and seasonal greetings cards, plus gift wrap and bags. Two new card ranges have recently been introduced, one for children and the other range suitable for all ages, male and female.

All the stock is on consignment, meaning that you only pay for the cards after they have sold, so there isn’t an up-front cost to you, or any risk. They also provide free on loan display card racks or spinners.

Original Poster Company merchandise your display on a regular basis and also bring the stock into you, so you don’t have to spend time ordering cards yourself and putting them out.

Anne’s recommendation“We sell the cards at £1.30. Buying them in at a fantastic fixed price (for Attend customers) of 58p per card.

We only pay for the cards we have already sold, so have no money tied up in stock. Steve (my rep) calls every few weeks, making sure the spinner looks at it’s best, which takes all the pressure off me, so all I have to do is wheel the spinner out each morning.

We currently sell on average 224 cards per month returning a nice healthy profit...with no outlay.

I have no hesitation in recommending The Original Poster Company to my fellow League Of Friends colleagues”.

“A nice healthy profit...with no outlay.”

Order nowWhat have you got to lose? They won’t cost you anything until after you have sold them! Tel: 01932 267300 Email: [email protected] www.originalposter.com One of the Free display units available from the

Original Poster Company.


Photo-story: an Attend dramatisation

The amazing adventures of Savernake Friends Shop!


Feature

Meet the Friends of Danesbury and QVM Hospital

“No two days are the same. You never know what’s coming in – you can be astounded, or disgusted! It’s a good laugh with the team, and with the public. I feel I am doing something for the community.” Says Joy of her volunteering in The Friends of Danesbury and QVM Hospital charity shop.

The Friends have two shops, one in the heart of Old Welwyn village opened in 1992 and a second, opened the following year, in a prime position in Knebworth. Both shops rely entirely on donated goods and, apart from the Managers, are staffed entirely by volunteers. These dedicated managers and volunteers have enabled the shops to provide a steady flow of revenue to support the hospital, which provides some of the best care in the country for patients who may have a variety of conditions such as Stroke, MS, Parkinson’s disease, Motor Neurone disease or who need rehabilitation following a stay in an acute hospital. The Friends of Danesbury and QVM Hospital is very proud to support this hugely valued

institution, contributing some £100,000 a year towards improving the lives of patients.

“It’s nice knowing where the proceeds are going, and that they’re being used for a local charity.” Says shop volunteer, Myrtle, “I love doing something a bit useful. The shop is a service to the community; people meet their friends here, and we’re raising important funds.”

In 2001, The Friends expanded to include providing funds to the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital (QVM), renaming themselves the Friends of Danesbury and Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital. As with all services within the NHS there has been, and continues to be, much change, but the Friends fundraising provides vital income for equipment and services which would otherwise simply not be available. The Friends have pledged to provide £150,000 for a purpose-built dayroom at Danesbury, as always the shops and their dedicated volunteers will be key to success.

Meet the Volunteers

The volunteers’ energy and enthusiasm is formidable and each has their own particular reasons for being involved:

“I come for the companionship and we have some lovely customers.” Dennis

“I enjoy the company of the volunteers and of our customers. I’ve had a good life and it’s good to give something back.” Mabel

“I like meeting people and it’s good to re-use things that have been thrown away. And you find out what’s going on in the village!” Brenda

Volunteers and customers at the Friends of Danesbury and QVM Hospital. Photo by Melanie Hawgood.

See more

Melanie Hawgood visited the Friends this week to photograph them at work in their shop: www.attend.org.uk


News

As part of the South East regional Conference in Guilford at the beginning of May, Attend Retail ran another successful workshop for the groups attending. Over 20 delegates took part in the one hour session that covered three main topics: the importance of category approach to selling soft drinks to drive sales performance, this was expertly led by Brett Williams of GSK, the launch of Healthy Options project and introduction to ethical and Fairtrade products with Peros and Fairtrade Vending.

Also in attendance and part of the Attend Retail exhibition were CathcMyAd.com, Kerry Foods, Eagle Vending, Peros (see advert) and Fairtrade Vending (see advert).

Expert advice for the South East’s Friends Shops

The Guild of St Bartholomew’s Hospital opened their new shop on the 14th July. Christine Ashby, the Guild’s Shop Manager, came to Attend Retail for assistance and advice with the new shop. The Guild were pleased with the excellent service and advice they received from Attend Retail. Chairman of the League, Prof. Chris Hudson said: ”The support Attend Retail provided has been invaluable. I know that Christine really appreciated your professional input,

New shop but, it’s ‘business as usual’ for Barts

Volunteers at the workshop on selling soft drinks at the South East conference

The Barts Guild shop volunteers, including Christine Ashby, second from left, who worked so hard to make to new shop a success

which made a great difference to the stresses and strains of the move!”

Barts Guild run two shops selling a huge range of useful items, snacks and Barts souvenirs to staff, patients and visitors to the Hospital. They also run a ward trolley service, which takes a selection of the shop’s products up to the wards, allowing patients to buy necessities and luxuries as well as have a chat with a friendly Guild volunteer.

Mr Stephen O’Brien, the Trust Chairman said: “The work of the Guild and its volunteers is very much appreciated by the Hospital, its patients and staff. The Shop and facilities it offers are integral to this, and I recognise how much effort everyone involved has put into the move from King George V block. Thanks to the Guild, it’s ‘business as usual’.”

The shop was officially opened by the Guild President, Ann Wickham.


Feature

EAGLE VENDING SERVICES LTD& FAIRTRADE VENDINGEagle vending are an innovative forward thinking company, bringing new vending and beverage concepts into the vending market.

FAIRTRADEEagle/Fairtrade Vending was the pioneer of Fairtrade within the vending industry and was the first company to introduce Fairtrade branded beverage machines to the market.

HEALTHY VENDING for the Education sector.

Eagle vending again was a pioneer in introducing healthy vending into secondary schools (prior to Jamie Oliver!). Working with the Health Education Trust and product manufacturers, we introduced a wide range of healthy snacks & drinks that complied with the government’s nutritional standards and followed the School Food Trusts changing guidelines.

For further information on any of our products and services please contactMike Steel on 01634 722999Mobile 07949 135999Email: [email protected] www.fairtradevending.co.uk

The League of Friends of Freeman Hospital run a large shop in the Hospital. They pride themselves on giving a friendly and helpful service to staff, patients and visitors.

The League are always striving to engage new members and have a training scheme set up for new volunteers to ensure that customers always receive top notch service. The Friends don’t stop at the shop; they also run a Patients Library and a craft trolley to keep patients amused and active, as well as a tea bar, an outpatients sales table and provide helpers in the hospitals clinics.

Each month the Friends consider the needs of patients and the hospital staff and donate money to provide items requested. The amounts involved can be anything from £50 to £50,000 and they have assisted the hospital in purchasing some innovative equipment for hospital use.

The League of Friends of Freeman Hospital

The Friends’ Shop is always busy and turnover is very healthy.


Feature

There are 100 volunteers working in the Friends of Blandford Hospital’s two shops located in Blandford and Sturminster Newton. Some work in the front of the shop persuading customers to part with their hard-earned cash, others work behind the scenes sorting the never ending supply of donated goods.

The Friends have done a little arithmetic: If 7 volunteers work 3 hours each day that makes a total of 21 hours, 6 days at

21 hours = 126 hours a week. 126 hours a week x 51 weeks year (we must allow for holidays!`) = 6,426 hours.

The Friends have two shops, so double that to 12,852 hours volunteered each year.

In 2009/10 the Friends earned through the shops, auctions, fashion shows and autumn fair (all the good for these events were sourced from the shops) a total of £106,231.Divide that by the 100 volunteers working in the shops and you discover that each

The square route of volunteering

volunteer has raised more than £1000 each!

During the last two years both of the charity shops have been updated resulting in a nicer environment for the volunteers and customers in the shop. The Sturminster shop was reopened last year, and Blandford was relaunched on 23rd June this year. Emma Campbell, Fundraising Co-ordinator says: “It was good to see a lot of new faces in the first week of trading and the takings certainly reflected the increased custom.”

We are again working in partnership with Impress Publishing to give you the opportunity to purchase affordable Christmas cards. The Cards raise funds and promote your group.

The cards will be ‘personalised’ and printed

with your groups’ details inside the card in black. You can also choose your own greeting to be printed. Your details will also feature on the backing slip placed inside the cello-packs. You can also add information to encourage volunteers and donations.

All cards are printed on high quality heavyweight 300gsm board with high gloss UV varnish, white envelopes, cello-packed in 5’s or 10’s with a backing slip.

The scheme allows your group to purchase as little as 100 packs of cards in total from

the design selection thus providing a wider choice without the requirement to buy large quantities. If however, you require less than the 100 packs, please contact their office on: 01227 811611 where they will be happy to help and accommodate this for you.

The suggested retail price is £3.00 per pack of ten cards and £2.00 per pack of five cards. However you can choose your own retail price. Visit: www.attend.org.uk/what-we-do/attend-retail for more information and to download the order form.

Place your Christmas card order quick!

The shop was reopened by Chairman, Peter Fale and Life Vice President and Chairman of Fundraising, Gordon Adam, the founder of the charity shops.


Contact us on 01494 436426

www.peros.co.uk Twitter: www.twitter.com/Peros_Fairtrade

www.facebook.com/pages/PEROS-FAIRTRADE/80322014775Or why not:

For more details visit our Facebook:

We are the UK’s leading independent Fairtrade supply company

K is for kiwi L is for lentils M is for milk

N is for nuts O is for orange

Q is for quinoa R is for raspberries

S is for strawberry T is for tomato

U is for unusual salads V

is for victoria plum W

is for watermelon

X is for x-ercise Y is for yoghurt

Z is for zucchini

P is for peas

A Healthy Eating Champion is for: encouraging the staff, patients and visitors to their retail outlet to make healthier choices about the food they eat. Find out more at: www.attend.org.uk

shop talk 8

Documents

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attend retail award

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friends shops

shop fitters

shop talk issue

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attend healthy options