Hills Department Store is Spalding’s largest independent retailer.
Bought by the Turner family in the 1950s, the company originally traded from Market Place in the unit now occupied by Lloyds Pharmacy.
The current Broad Street location was purchased in the 1970s and today has more than 12,000sq ft of shopfloor space and employs over 50 local people.
Main departments are ladies’ fashions, cosmetics and beauty, shoes, lingerie, handbags and accessories, a Thorntons franchise, cookshop, linens, schoolwear, a gift department and an 80-seater restaurant.
The store remains family owned and is currently run by Gavin and Emma Allmand, Katie Freeman, and new store manager Nick Snookes.
Typically, Hills operates two main sales – in summer and winter.
Nick (32) talked us through last Wednesday’s (June 10) preparations for the summer sale…
7.30am: Arrive at work and have directors’ meeting to review sales preparation plan and course of action for the day.
8.30am: Shop floor walk with heads of department to discuss floor plans, movement of fixtures and stock preparation.
9am: Store opens. Staff and busy re-ticketing and marking down stock behind the scenes, preparation for sale starts weeks in advanced.
Nick says: “Stock plans, markdowns and floor charts are all pre-papered ready for staff to work from.
“Everyone is flat out working to ensure everything is ready for the store to open in sale the next day.”
10am: Buyers’ meeting. All departments are discussed, sales forecasts, stock turn and ranges are reviewed.
11am: Shop floor is getting busy with customers; Nick does another floor walk to check on sale prep progress.
11.30am: Time for a quick catch-up on emails and general administration.
1.30pm: Break for lunch in The Riverview Cafe, which was revamped recently.
2pm: Meeting with a possible new supplier representative to discuss ranges, distribution and costings.
3.15pm: Ensure all surplus stock and sale signage has been brought to the store from the warehouse. Check that all sale ticketing has been prepared and printed.
4pm: Store closes early and the shop floor preparation begins.
Staff not scheduled on the shop floor arrive to help get everything ready. They bring with them biscuits and crisps to keep them going
Display staff start to empty window displays, the maintenance team start to dismantle fixtures and erect signage, shop floor staff start to markdown price tickets and all stock is brought out of the stock rooms onto the shop floor. Nick says: “It’s a long, slow process marking down by hand all the price tickets but everyone gets involved.”
Staff completing their department get to try the new Spalding Cider the store has started to stock!
5.30pm: Decision taken to mark down some clothing ranges by additional amount.
Agree to half price a unique range of beauty products containing snake, viper and bee venom and snail slime.
6pm: Debate how much swimwear to include in the sale. Summer hasn’t started yet but it’s proposed to include a lot of swimwear; ask our team to think again. Limit the amount of items but give bigger discounts on what is put into sale.
7.15pm: Store is finished and ready to open the next day in sale.
