With the announcement of BHS going it to Administration last month (Monday 25th April) had jumping on my phone and face book messaging friends and old colleges from stores. with 11,000 jobs on the line 11,000 people waiting and seeing if if they will be getting another pay check., if there store will close, I can not imagining the anxiety and uncertainty they must be feeling.
My time At BHS
In 2006, being out of work for a while and my conference slowing being killed by every ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ response from every every job that I had applied for.
In 2006, being out of work for a while and my conference slowing being killed by every ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ response from every every job that I had applied for.
Then BHS offered me a 2day work trial and then a christmas temp job. In the January I was then offered a 30hour contract, By March I was working as Visual associate.
In 2008 I started their ‘Wanna Be Program’ (that was their management training program) working towards being a department/visual manager. As the recession began to tack hold fully the company management structor was restructured, resulting in 100s having to re-apply for their jobs, and as the number of manager positions with in tech store had been cut some were made redundant or put put down to sales associate. At the time I was not in a Management position, so my job was safe. unfortunately for any visual merchandiser that was not in a flagship store they were either put down to Visual associate or they took redundancy
By the time I left there I had worked on several major refits with in the company, Visual support with in model stores preparing for visits, I was training staff in my store and others in the region.
BHS has give me a chance to grow in way I didn't think I would.
The Compertion
Over the years the company has struggled to keep up with the fast growing and change competition not only with in shops but online.
I remember doing competitive shops, Going to as many of the shops on the high street as I could- Primark, Debanhams, M&S, Topshop, H&M mothercare, new look, Bon Marche, Many because it kept me out of the shop and didn't have to persuade customers to open one of our ‘fantastic’ cards…. But back to the point, I found that all of these shops had the same or similar products at the same price point or with a average of £2-£3 difference.
Over the years the company has struggled to keep up with the fast growing and change competition not only with in shops but online.
I remember doing competitive shops, Going to as many of the shops on the high street as I could- Primark, Debanhams, M&S, Topshop, H&M mothercare, new look, Bon Marche, Many because it kept me out of the shop and didn't have to persuade customers to open one of our ‘fantastic’ cards…. But back to the point, I found that all of these shops had the same or similar products at the same price point or with a average of £2-£3 difference.
Their merchandising was never anything special, - apart from a lot of the shops were a newer as some had had refits.
Marketing.
While Topshop had Kate Mose promoting their products and Marks and Spencer hand Twiggy, BHS had... well not a lot, Shops that needed a coat of paint inside and a out, and lots, lots more. They rely more on returning costumers, through lollty and word of mouth, which in this century of social media, TV adds, You Tube adds and magazines, makes it hard to keep up. BHS was very left behind.
I can remember them doing a TV add for there 'Mega Event' shone in the eadd brake of Coronation street. All green and black, a computer generated add, as horrid as this is I'm sure that a year 9 student could put together a better add. Considering that there age range stretched through new born, young children, teenagers 20/30 years, through to 60s/70s.
The Stock and Branding Marketing.
While Topshop had Kate Mose promoting their products and Marks and Spencer hand Twiggy, BHS had... well not a lot, Shops that needed a coat of paint inside and a out, and lots, lots more. They rely more on returning costumers, through lollty and word of mouth, which in this century of social media, TV adds, You Tube adds and magazines, makes it hard to keep up. BHS was very left behind.
I can remember them doing a TV add for there 'Mega Event' shone in the eadd brake of Coronation street. All green and black, a computer generated add, as horrid as this is I'm sure that a year 9 student could put together a better add. Considering that there age range stretched through new born, young children, teenagers 20/30 years, through to 60s/70s.
Every clothing shop on the high streat has an age demographic which they are targeting ( For example Miss Selfridge 16-23 TopShop 24-29 Dorothy Perkins 30-40) Have such a wide range of departments covering so many ages sometimes it was as if BHS its self did not no who it was/is targeting. You would find workwear with its suits and smart dress targeting the 30-40 year old woman, sitting next to Flippy skirts and classic designed trousers targeting 55 60 plus. We would merchandise the products beautifly, but still it always lacked definition, even as they brought in more brading with A3 and 1/2 A3 signage to put on to fixtuers and wall freezes it could messy, and after thought as such.
The Home Department
Apart from the lighting section of the home department, which had a great selection of dated Crystal chandelles, and crystal table lamps, the products where lovely. It was only in 2009/10 that they started getting in more modern design lighting, but they still favoured the old 80s style.
The windows
Where their windows had mannequins with products that they had in in stock we had photo graphics mass produced for every store. (on occasions we would find that we would have a window graphic advertising something that we did not stock for.) It wasn't until late in 2011 that they began putting window displays with products.
As a pain as it was to Implement these graphics if it was done right and the graphics were not damaged the glass clean, floors swept the Minimal look worked well, looking clean and neat.
It wasn't until around 2009/10 that stores started using the grip bars which aloud to create a deeper 3D effect with the graphics, this meant even more care with putting up the graphics as of they were not in the bar properly and you tried to hang them you risked the graphic ripping.
As a pain as it was to Implement these graphics if it was done right and the graphics were not damaged the glass clean, floors swept the Minimal look worked well, looking clean and neat.
It wasn't until around 2009/10 that stores started using the grip bars which aloud to create a deeper 3D effect with the graphics, this meant even more care with putting up the graphics as of they were not in the bar properly and you tried to hang them you risked the graphic ripping.
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| BHS Southend-On-Sea |
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| Marks and Spencers Southend -On-Sea |
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| Marks and Spencers Southend -On-Sea |
The Signage
Signage was always, and I can imagen it properly still is a big thing. Every week there would be at least 2 delivers of window signage - a large one a smaller one and two FOFs there would be normally 4 different sets, this being that a lot of stores would have 4 windows, A3 black and white price points and photo graphics, wall images 1200x2400, price point cards for price pointing cloths on mannequins, FOFs for the shop floor, table top signage for the home department. Then there is the in store signage kits, sale red and white (or in some of the forgoten stores it was orange and black) Banners, A3 %off price points 'Items from £XX, shelf signage, and a black and white kit consisting of the same and more. (a Forrest per store.)
It almost seamed like over kill. and on occasions you was as if all you could see was hang signage fixture signage and wall graphics. in some ways it was a good thing in old store that were screaming out for a re-fit or at least at coat of paint.
My first Christmas with them as Visual associate In late september we got a huge delivery of signage, wall graphics, A3s, shelf signage, window graphics, FOFs, pillar wraps, enough freeze to go around the whole store. banners to hang and decorations. during the christmas season we received more window signage, window decals, FOFs and wall graphics leaving the ones we had received in september redundant. In the February it was time to clear out old signage, the Christmas signage that had not been used filled up nearly two bins. All the stores would have been the same.
Looking at stores then - when I worked for the and even now. most don't use wall graphics, they use small amounts of price pointing signage located on fixtures is its a sale section then you will find one maybe two banners hanging above, and hardly If any branding signage, unless it is in a shop such as Debenhams, then the shops with the shop rely on different fixtures and large fixed banners attached to the walls.
It always seamed that they were trying to hard to make a statement with the company with all the wall graphics and photo A3 signs. little is more. Especially with signage other wise it just looks messing, I hated having to put it all up as at time it seamed as thought the product was lost with in a sea of signage.
I dread to think how much money was wasted on signage that was never used.
A little over kill. Do you think we had a promotion on?
A Little about the Signage.
FOFs: These things were the bane of my life. I know if anyone really knew what FOF stood for it could be Follower Of Fashion, for me it got called Fucking Odd Fixture.
The old style ones were basically a metal frame which you slotted in two pieces of card, which if you were not careful would fall out the moment you turned away, if the card didn't full out it would be the graphic falling off the card or both.
Later we received a new design, this one was a a metal frame with and the graphic would slip behind a perspex sheet. the down side i found with these, were that it was a two person job, one on a ladder feeding it in and another making sure it diid not get stuck on the screws or nicks on the inside of the frame. If you tock the perspex out - which you were meant to, you risked braking it.
Signage was always, and I can imagen it properly still is a big thing. Every week there would be at least 2 delivers of window signage - a large one a smaller one and two FOFs there would be normally 4 different sets, this being that a lot of stores would have 4 windows, A3 black and white price points and photo graphics, wall images 1200x2400, price point cards for price pointing cloths on mannequins, FOFs for the shop floor, table top signage for the home department. Then there is the in store signage kits, sale red and white (or in some of the forgoten stores it was orange and black) Banners, A3 %off price points 'Items from £XX, shelf signage, and a black and white kit consisting of the same and more. (a Forrest per store.)
It almost seamed like over kill. and on occasions you was as if all you could see was hang signage fixture signage and wall graphics. in some ways it was a good thing in old store that were screaming out for a re-fit or at least at coat of paint.
My first Christmas with them as Visual associate In late september we got a huge delivery of signage, wall graphics, A3s, shelf signage, window graphics, FOFs, pillar wraps, enough freeze to go around the whole store. banners to hang and decorations. during the christmas season we received more window signage, window decals, FOFs and wall graphics leaving the ones we had received in september redundant. In the February it was time to clear out old signage, the Christmas signage that had not been used filled up nearly two bins. All the stores would have been the same.
Looking at stores then - when I worked for the and even now. most don't use wall graphics, they use small amounts of price pointing signage located on fixtures is its a sale section then you will find one maybe two banners hanging above, and hardly If any branding signage, unless it is in a shop such as Debenhams, then the shops with the shop rely on different fixtures and large fixed banners attached to the walls.
It always seamed that they were trying to hard to make a statement with the company with all the wall graphics and photo A3 signs. little is more. Especially with signage other wise it just looks messing, I hated having to put it all up as at time it seamed as thought the product was lost with in a sea of signage.
I dread to think how much money was wasted on signage that was never used.
A little over kill. Do you think we had a promotion on?
A Little about the Signage.
FOFs: These things were the bane of my life. I know if anyone really knew what FOF stood for it could be Follower Of Fashion, for me it got called Fucking Odd Fixture.
The old style ones were basically a metal frame which you slotted in two pieces of card, which if you were not careful would fall out the moment you turned away, if the card didn't full out it would be the graphic falling off the card or both.
Later we received a new design, this one was a a metal frame with and the graphic would slip behind a perspex sheet. the down side i found with these, were that it was a two person job, one on a ladder feeding it in and another making sure it diid not get stuck on the screws or nicks on the inside of the frame. If you tock the perspex out - which you were meant to, you risked braking it.
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| Old Style FOF |
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| Old Style FOF |
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| Old Style FOF |
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