As we come to the end of a very different year for all of us, I have been reflecting on the last twelve months and thinking ahead on my hopes and goals for my franchise stores in 2021. We’ve certainly all had a lot to think about and as we come to the end of our second UK lockdown, if nothing else I think we have all had a few lessons to learn from, and challenges to reflect on.
At the end of 2019 I purchased two more Subway stores with no idea of what we faced around the corner; four months later all four stores were shut for three months and things looked difficult and uncertain. While Subway is a high street brand that has coped well with reopening and has adjusted to the effects of the global pandemic, a lack of city centre footfall has definitely proved difficult for trading at times.
Regardless, it was important that we remained positive and did all we could to protect staff and guests as we have continued to adapt to the ever-changing environment we have faced these past months. With the enthusiasm and positive energy we continue to see from our guests, all the hard work is made worthwhile and we know that whatever challenges we might face, we are resilient and nothing is permanent.
As I look ahead to 2021, for me and my stores it is going to be a year of focusing on local marketing and ensuring we maximise on local trade. We plan to do this by increasing the local marketing budget further for 2021 and maximising on key objectives to achieve these results. Local voucher drops and postcode-specific marketing campaigns will be utilised as something I already build into my marketing plans. In the past we have delivered voucher booklets to local postcodes and universities, and have also recently completed a campaign with Bath Rugby, our local team, to increase brand awareness and sales from a key target market.
While 2020 has definitely been a year to remember for many negative reasons, I think it has provided a momentum that we can utilise as we look ahead and hopefully put the year behind us.
