Tuesday, February 09, 2010

"Retailers: Turn on Your Financial Headlights!"™                                                                            ROI Site Tour

Retailers: Help Yourself at The ROI

The Retail Owners Institute's information and resources about the business of stores is simply unmatched! Ninth year and counting! With its emphasis on the basics of retail finance, inventory management, and cash flow control, The ROI is especially relevant to retail decision-makers with 1 to 100 stores.

Foremost Self-Help Resource on Retail Owner and Store Survival Issues

New! Quick Reads for Retailers
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What's New in The ROI's BLOG?
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In The ROI News
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Opening a store?
Adding stores?

Go to RetailStartup.com

RetailStartup.com

 

Online Open-to-Buy (OTB) Calculator
Merchandise buying plans by class, by department, by month, by YOU!

Separate registration required. 
45 days FREE trial.
Then, just $19.95/month.

Find out more here

Next Steps
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Four Major Components of The ROI

#1.

Dozens of How-To Articles
by Retail Experts on Key
Financial Survival Issues

Cash FlowInventory Control
GMROIRetail Finance
Managing Debt Turnover
Balance Sheet RatiosStrategic PlansBank FinancingRecession Survival

And many more! By retailers. For retailers. Available nowhere else.

#2.

Benchmark Performance Numbers for 52 Retail Segments

How does YOUR store compare?

See Benchmark Numbers/ Performance Metrics for 52 Retail Segments

 

 

#3.

Specialized Retail Calculators Online

GMROI & Turnover Calculator

Retail P&L Planner

Key Ratios Calculator

Retail Cash Flow Forecaster

Open-to-Buy Planner for Inventory Buying
(requires separate registration)

preview Calculators

 

 

 

 

#4.

Online, Self-Paced Seminar in the Basics of Retail Finance
"All it takes is a little desire...and a web browser!"

Retail Strata:G(R)
Financial Trainer

Integrated pro forma Financial Statements (P&L, Balance Sheet)

Inventory Planning (Open-to-Buy) @Cost or @Retail

Cash Flow Plans

preview Trainer

 

 

 

 

Even More for ROI Members
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The Members-Only Collection

About 280,000 retailers already are using this site yearly.  The ROI is available on-demand for you, 24/7, whenever you have retail business questions. 

Members of The ROI have access to 100% of the site; all others have access to about one-third of the site.  About two-thirds of the specialized content at The ROI is behind a "walled garden", in the Members-Only Collection.  ROI Members enjoy unlimited access to the entire Members-Only Collection for just $24.95/month.

By retailers.  For retailers.  Available nowhere else. 
Click here for details.  Join now!

14 KEY SECTIONS
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Retail Business Insights
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The Wal-Mart Tsunami
You've heard of "the Wal-Mart effect"? We think the new name should be "the Wal-Mart tsunami". As they reduce prices to keep up market share in sales, competing retailers like Target, Sears, Costco, Kohls, etcetera will be forced to also cut prices. The ripple effect will reach all retailers.
The ROI's advice? Take your markdowns even earlier than before.

 

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Retail Associations and Service Providers:

Are Your Retailers Looking to You for Help?

Partner with The ROI! Choose from these proven and powerful programs.

Serve your retail members or clients. Differentiate yourself.  Gain a competitive edge. Make a difference!

Provide The ROI safety net to your retailers. Call 1.800.499.7531.
(See
About The ROI for info on other programs for Sponsors.)

 

Retail Owners...
Need a New Strategy?
Customized  • Timely •
Objective
(more info...)


NEW from The ROI!
Webinars by the Co-Founders.

Fast-paced, lively, informative...and fun!
Online, on-demand, 24/7.

Watch them all!


"What Retailers MUST Do To SURVIVE
This Financial Crisis
"

 

"The Indispensable Owners Dashboard"

 

"The Basics of Open-to-Buy Planning"

 

"Raise Turns...and Raise Cash!"

GMROI & Turns Calculator

 

Key Ratios Calculator

 Open-to-Buy (OTB) Calculator


 

Three major sections:
P&L and Balance Sheets; Inventory Buying Plans; Cash Flow

 

"Learn" in short, self-paced chapters

 

"Practice"  (e.g., take a quiz!)

 

"Apply" to your own business

 

Case Study: The I. M. Surviving (?!) Co.

Plus much more!

Start Now! 
Follow these 5 steps.  Drive your inventory to a targeted, well-conceived ENDING INVENTORY level at the end of each month.

  1. Determine precisely what annual inventory turnover rate your store(s) should have to be profitable and provide an adequate cash flow. (For free guidance, find your segment under the "Retail Benchmarks" tab.)

  2. Next, convert that turnover rate into "days of supply"; i.e., 4.3 turns divided into 365 days in a year equals 85 selling days (of supply) or "one turn's worth of inventory".

  3. Now, simply guesstimate your reasonably expected sales volume for the 85-day period from April 1st forward, in this example, through June 24. Got it?

  4. That sales number now becomes your targeted inventory level (at retail, not cost)  for the end of June. Now you've got a goal, a definitive number to shoot for which is based on going forward safely.

  5. But it's only as good as your ability to hit that target. Therefore, with just a limited number of selling days left before the end of June, you can, and must, reduce prices, cut orders, give spiffs to your staff...whatever it takes to drive down your inventory to hit that ending inventory goal. Now that you know what to do, we know you can do it.

And remember: Survival, without profit, through this recession is like halitosis; it's better than no breath at all!


Feeling uneasy about getting through the next few months?  Wondering whether you should be revising your store's spending plan?  The Retail Owners Institute® has just the tool you need: our online P&L Planner.

Available 24/7 in the Members-Only Collection, you can use the P&L Planner - on your own - anytime you want.  You do NOT have to ask your bookkeeper to do new projections for you.  (And, you will minimize the rumors!)

What a great way to test out some "what if...?" concepts.  See for yourself whether they "pencil out"; then you can decide which changes to vigorously pursue.


The ROI's P&L Planner has some unique features especially for retail owners:

  • It's set up for a six-month time frame that's practical and manageable.  (Want a full year's projection?  No problem.  Do months one through six, print it out, then do months seven through twelve and print that out.)
  • It clusters the operating expenses into major categories, or "buckets" vs. a lengthy list of alphabetical line items.  Plus, it separates the "fixed expenses" from the "variable expenses."  Much easier to manage and control expenses!
  • Each item on the P&L is immediately calculated as a percent of sales.  This too makes it easier for you to manage and control.

It is fast and easy to work with.  All the formulas are built in. Truly retailer friendly!

Take advantage now of your unlimited access to this great tool exclusively for ROI Members.  Just go to The ROI and login with your User Name and Password.  Then, scroll down the Member's Homepage to the direct links to The ROI's online calculators.  Choose the P&L Planner, and
"Turn on Your Financial Headlights!!"


 
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