“Poor property negotiation, a lack of understanding about convenience shopping, and the high staff turnover rate are all challenges being faced by retailers in a very mixed market,” says Mike Lewin, group retail director at Madison Property Fund Managers.

The first strategy is for retailers to employ seasoned property specialists who know each and every store in the network. Retail leasing is a complex and intricate business that requires knowledge and insight.

“South African retailers have lost a generation of property skills over the past year, making it difficult for property owners to negotiate with retailer representatives who have a solid understanding of retail property leasing,” he says. “Some have never visited the stores under negotiation and aren’t familiar with competing stores and malls in close proximity.”

The second strategy is for retailers and retail managers to acknowledge the critical need for consumer convenience – in all its forms.

Shoppers want to achieve as much as possible in the shortest possible time, and that means retail managers have to create an all-in-one shopping experience if they want to attract consumers, notes Lewin. Think outside the box too: more convenience could also mean better access to credit, or even higher storefronts that make stock more visible to passing shoppers.

“Part of that retail management decision is longer shopping hours -- being open when it is convenient for customers to shop -- which is something that needs to be constantly assessed,” he says. “Indeed, there are a number of retailers that are very aggressive in this regard.” But, Lewin notes it is not a simple as it may seem, with staff and security issues posing very real challenges in SA.

The third strategy is training, developing and keeping good store staff. Lack of skills in the retail sector, he continues, is another real challenge faced by retailers in SA. “Large national retailers generally invest in solid staff training, only to have their employees poached by smaller retailers and new stores,” he explains.

Some churn is inevitable in any sector, but it has become unacceptably high in SA retail, he adds, noting that long hours and high stress levels are key factors for staff.

Lewin believes that a retailer’s employees make or break the store in any one season. After all, a single bad decision can cripple an entire network of stores. “If your buyer gets something as simple as the colours for the coming season wrong, or the interpretation of international trends for the local market, it can have disastrous consequences,” he explains.