Is the Shop Front Dead?

Shop Front V Internet

Serious individuals/business's go for neither.

They look for recommendations from professionals (such as bank managers etc) and friends.

Marketing?

If you can rely on getting sufficient referrals, and don't need to market your business, then there is no need for a shop front.

Referrals are the best way to increase client numbers, but if you need to market your business, then a shop front is an easy way to get business. I am glad I made the move as I am not very good at asking for recommendations, and I hate marketing, networking, etc. I have gained many good clients through having a very visible presence.

I suppose a shop front is a convenient way of avoiding some, if not all, marketing, but it isn't the solution to every problem, and probably wouldn't suit everyone.

The shop front for retail is not dead, but it’s very sick.

Competition from online retailers, supermarkets with 24 hour opening, out of town shopping centres, high car parking charges, are all factors in what appears to be a shopping revolution.

That said, a shop front can be valuable, but, it needs to be in the right place and send out the right message.  If you are between the local HMV and Blockbusters and they both end up boarded up along with many others then footfall past your premises may reduce drastically.  If clients are reliant on the local council car park and parking fees are doubled, it wont help you. There are a lot of factors beyond your control that can drastically affect you.

Similarly it’s no good having a shop front if it’s on some back street that no one uses.   

There is also the matter of cost to consider. A shop front will invariably be more expensive than an office so the question is, will it bring in enough extra business to cover that cost and make it worthwhile, and of course, can you handle that extra work.

We have taken the “out of town shopping centre” approach by relocating some years ago to a village location with unrestricted on street parking plus our own car park.  Our experience is that clients prefer an extra 10 minutes driving for the benefit of hassle free parking and no traffic jams, traffic wardens, and all the other hassle that goes with being in a town centre.  

Tax Assist franchise

This will combine your queries about franchises and shop fronts. Did you see the new Tax Assist shop on the road from South Wimbledon to Wimbledon? I think they will have problems with parking but it is in a prominent location.

I would go for a shop front rather than a office above a shop.

I had an office above a shop (actually a ladies hairdresser) for ten years and then moved around the corner ten years ago into a former betting shop. In the first ten years I had a total of 2 or 3 new clients who happended to see the office. In the next ten years I have taken on numerous new clients every year who say they 'saw the office' . Some of these are surprisingly large clients. I am close to a railway station and many commuters nowadays are actually contractors or consultants rather than the expected employees and therfore in need of an accountant.

Commercial rents have not incresed much in recent years and ground floor shop rents are similar to first floor offices. I asume this is because of the decline in the demand for small shops and the fact that first floor office rents are underpinned by the ability to convert back to residential use.

Our Accounting Group Franchises have both

We only have four franchisees but out of the four, two have a shop front and two have offices, both trading on about same amount of fees, over the same periods.

Think in our office in Chesterfield over ten years trading we have only had a handful of people walk in off the street.

It's not the walk in

I think that the shop front is good advertising and if thought is given to what is viewable from the road then can help attract client.

The costs can be compared between office and shop front and see what the difference is and whether the marketing spend can be put to better use.