Member Article

Durham retail support outfit is hungry for growth

A firm that provides shop fitting supplies and support services to the UK convenience retail sector is eyeing a five-year target of £1.2 million turnover, as demand grows in their sector.

Durham-based Sinso Retail Support Limited provides support services to the UK convenience sector, including the provision of experienced merchandising teams to help new retailers get goods on shelves and ready to open.

The firm also supplies merchandising, stocktaking and stock valuations, Epos systems, shop fitting and security systems into supermarkets, symbol groups and their convenience retailers.

The company was newly formed in 2013 by sales and marketing professional Lee Singers and Retail Professional Bob Soulsby.

With their combined 60 years’ experience, their plan was to fill a gap in the market to provide support services for independent convenience stores and they have delivered in excess of £200k first year sales, with the business plan set to achieve £360k in year two.

The company’s ethos rests on helping young people who have suffered from long term unemployment, get back into work.

Working closely with Jobcentre Plus and the East Durham Employability Trust and following rigorous ‘on the job training’ and buddying up with Sinso’s more experienced team leaders - the firm has recently recruited seven young people and hopes to take on a further three as it continues to grow its customer base nationwide.

Bob Soulsby, operations director, said: “Having worked in the retail sector for many years, I realised that there was no single company which could provide a full range of support services for the smaller independent convenience stores.

“This presented a major opportunity for a credible, professional company to bring in the required support - offering far more than merchandising support.

“Our research shows that there are around 40,000 independent retailers in the convenience sector and our company which currently supports about 300 retailers a year - plans to increase visibility in this sector and grow market share across the UK.

“We offer a ‘one stop shop’ to get new retailers up and running, ensuring they are successful and sustainable by supporting them in all aspects of their business.”

Lee Singers, sales and marketing director added: “In a short space of time, we are now on track to grow our business to £1.2million in the next five years. We have created a strong brand investing heavily in our website and SEO to generate inbound enquiries whilst also expanding our merchandising resource to fulfil customer requirements.

“Our reputation has grown throughout the UK and we have gained some high profile customers.

“This is a very exciting time for us as we enter the next phase and build brand awareness through a new fleet of Sinso branded vehicles.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .