Acceptable standards of cleanliness, tidiness, food hygiene, Health & Safety, shopping ‘environment’, etc. is fundamental to the success of any retail business.

It is evident that customers’ expectations have increased in recent years. The large multiple retailers have certainly responded to this and it’s crucial that independent shops keep up in order to compete.

It’s not always easy when you’re running a busy shop, but it’s important to be able to ‘stand back’ from your shop, and view it through the eyes of your customers.

A simple checklist is a good way of ensuring that the basics are not ignored, and the PDF file (click here) offers an example. You can tailor this to you own requirements, and then use it on a regular basis (say, every fortnight) to ensure that your shop is up to scratch.