By The Numbers: Give Your Store a BMI Test

Published

12 years ago

November 2, 2008

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[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].

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Wilkerson Testimonials

If It’s Time to Consolidate, It’s Time to Call Wilkerson

When Tom Moses decided to close one of the two Moses Jewelers stores in western Pennsylvania, it was time to call in the experts. After reviewing two candidates, Moses, a co-owner of the 72 year-old business, decided to go with Wilkerson. The sale went better than expected. Concerned about running it during the pandemic, Moses says it might have helped the sale. “People wanted to get out, so there was pent-up demand,” he says. “Folks were not traveling so there was disposable income, and we don’t recall a single client commenting to us, feeling uncomfortable. It was busy in here!” And perhaps most importantly, Wilkerson was easy to deal with, he says, and Susan, their personal Wilkerson consultant, was knowledgeable, organized and “really good.” Now, the company can focus on their remaining location — without the hassle of carrying over merchandise that either wouldn’t fit or hadn’t sold. “The decision to hire Wilkerson was a good one,” says Moses.