By The Numbers: Give Your Store a BMI Test

Published

12 years ago

November 2, 2008

{loadposition davidbrownheader}

[h3]Give Your Sore a BMI Test[/h3]

[dropcap cap=T]oday we’re going to give the average jeweler a quick BMI test. Yes, we’re checking for obesity by looking at the store’s height (inventory) versus its weight (sales excluding repair and custom work). In retail, this is known as the stock-to-sales ratio, and it’s that easy to work out: Just divide sales by inventory.[/dropcap]

In August, the average store in our survey had a stock-to-sales ratio of 1.2. That means $1 of inventory is producing only $1.24 in retail sales on an annual basis. This is not good. A ratio of less than 2 (each $1 of inventory is producing less than $2 of retail sales) means the store is in an at-risk health situation. Aged inventory is like blocked arteries — and could well be causing cash-flow and performance problems.

David Brown is president of the Edge Retail Academy, an organization devoted to the ongoing measurement and growth of jewelry store performance and profitability. You can contact him at [email protected]

[span class=note]This story is from the November 2008 edition of INSTORE[/span]

If you’d like to contribute your own data and receive a personalized KPI report each month, call (877) 910-3343 or e-mail: [email protected].

{loadposition xtra-browncolumn}

Wilkerson Testimonials

Retirement Made Easy with Wilkerson

The store was a landmark in Topeka, Kansas, but after 80 years in business, it was time for Briman’s Leading Jewelers to close up shop. Third generation jeweler and owner Rob Briman says the decision wasn’t easy, but the sale that followed was — all thanks to Wilkerson. Briman had decided a year prior to the summer 2020 sale that he wanted to retire. With a pandemic in full force, he had plenty of questions and concerns. “We had no real way to know if we were going to be successful or have a failure on our hands,” says Briman. “We didn’t know what to expect.” But with Wilkerson in charge, the experience was “fantastic” and now there’s plenty of time for relaxing and enjoying a more secure retirement. “I would recommend Wilkerson to any retailer considering a going-out-of-business sale,” says Briman. “They’ll help you reach your financial goal. Our experience was a tremendous success.”