From time to time, something in West Dorset catches the nation’s attention. The opening of Wellworths in Dorchester certainly fell into this category.
When Woolworths closed down, and Wellworths sprung up like a phoenix from its ashes in the middle of Dorchester, the media descended on it in huge numbers. Documentaries and stories abounded – and correspondence flooded in from all over the country. I gather that there have even been coach parties that have arrived to case the joint on their way down to Weymouth.
Now we are a couple of months on. Was it all a flash in the pan? Or did we have a genuine local success story on our hands?
Answer: most definitely, a genuine local success story.
When you walk into Wellworths, you can see right away that it represents a vast improvement on Woolworths. The concept is basically the same – but the look and feel of the place has been transformed. It is now bright and airy, with a clear view right down the shop. Everything positively sparkles at you.
The most remarkable thing is, however, the enthusiasm of the people working at Wellworths. This is a group of people with a mission, rather than just a job.
How has this remarkable transformation been achieved? Answer: by empowering the people on the spot.
Of course, this is all about personalities. When Claire Robertson – an extremely engaging, lively and efficient person – was the manager of the Woolworths store in Dorchester, she was just a digit in a large machine. The shape of the store, the stock, and all the operating procedures were led from head office, and (as she put it to me) if you had seen one Woolworths, you had seen them all.
Now, as the boss of Wellworths this amazing person has the freedom and opportunity to make things happen. She and the people who work with her are in charge. They determine the stock. They determine how the place looks and feels. They determine how it operates. And you can just feel the energy and enthusiasm as a result.
What’s more, the shop is now part of the local community in a way that it couldn’t be before. So, for example, when local businesses arrive with products that suit the store, they are no longer turned away. Instead, Wellworths gives their products a go.
What makes this all so interesting is that it isn’t just a one-off example. I am absolutely convinced that Wellworths in Dorchester is just the start. In due course, there will be more in other places. But – and this is the vital point – Claire Robertson is determined that, if there are more, each one of them will have its own identity and be allowed to develop that identity in a way which suits its own local circumstances.
I think what we are rediscovering are the virtues of the local trader – but in the setting of something which was once, and will probably be again, a multiple retailer. That is really exciting – because it means we may have found a way of combining the advantages of scale with the advantages of things that have a local character of their own.