Retail, Warehousing & Distrubution

This change affecting high-street sales however presents opportunities to other businesses and the warehousing and distribution sectors are now ever more important and looking to expand. The increased demand in warehousing is particularly prevalent in the 100k+ sq. ft space, with demand the highest since records began. However, going forward, a shortage of land may constrain supply and increase costs in this sector, particularly in the south-east.

The sector is going through considerable change, realigning itself with new shopping trends, investing heavily in IT and logistics, and some will be downsizing, with others upsizing! Overall, we believe that those businesses who understand their market, are forward looking and nimble at realigning their offering and delivery to changing needs, will be the ones best placed to prosper.

The amount of change in this sector generates many issues to deal with and the management team needs to be fully focussed on not only the current day-to-day demands but also looking at the threats and opportunities these changes present. Also, cost and price pressures, currency exposure and poor profitability, and of course, the ever constant cashflow pressures add to the issues most businesses – large or small – face today.

At Playfair Partnerships, whilst we can’t help with designing clothes or driving the delivery vehicle, we can help your management team assess current market opportunities and formulate sound business strategy, while keeping cashflow and profitability in check.

• Our retail, warehousing and distribution strategy and growth services will help your management team find and appraise the best market opportunities, then devise the strategy to benefit from them. We will support you in realising the strategic plans by helping you identify and attract the necessary funding, as well as putting together and presenting the management information necessary to monitor and control the business.
• Our retail, warehousing and distribution financial management and control services will help keep an eye on profitability and cashflow. It is imperative to keep on top of both, in real time, and identify unprofitable stores or product lines, so prompt corrective action can be taken. We provide the A to Z of financial management and control and we have a comprehensive knowledge of the specific application of these services in the retail, warehousing and distribution sector.
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  Our financial management and control services:

  • Budgeting and Forecasting
  • Management accounts – regular, timely, accurate and informative management accounts to keep track of business performance
  • Cashflow management – planning and controlling the cashflow; managing invoice discounting lines, creditor payments and managing cashflow peaks and troughs due to seasonality of trade
  • Identification of and regular reporting of performance KPIs
  • Managing the costs of the employed workforce - with payroll, time-sheets, PAYE and auto-enrolment processes
  • Statutory Accounting, VAT, Corporation Tax & other tax returns – ensuring all compliance matters are accurately calculated and properly managed
  • Tax planning of both firm and stakeholders and management of annual returns
  • Review of business structure, succession and retirement planning
  • Negotiation with bank and other funders in relation to business and stakeholder funding
  • Review of stock management and valuation
  • Design and implementation of systems to enable calculation of Brand profitability
  • Design and implementation of systems to enable calculation of retail outlet profitability

• We hope your business is sound, but if it is not and is going through a downturn – business or financial – our retail, warehousing and distribution business turnaround services are here to steer your business towards financial stability and lasting profitability.

Thanks to our broad range of services and knowledge in this sector, we are able to work quickly to support your business – at the right time and cost, as our proactive approach enables us to integrate with your business, giving you flexible anytime access to the level and volume of resources you need without the full-time costs.

If you think that your retail, warehousing or distribution business will benefit from advice and support, better financial management as well as some funding, or if it is experiencing a downturn, please get in touch – we’ll be happy to talk to you.