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Dan Munford: CKB founder |
Insight is pioneering a new business model which pools multi-disciplined retail executives to provide a one-stop shop of convenience expertise.
Convenience Knowledge Bank (CKB) is the brainchild of Insight partner Dan Munford. It provides international convenience retailers and suppliers with access to the skills and experience of high flying retail executives through Insight’s global network.
Munford said: “Convenience development follows common international trends. But each market has unique strengths and weaknesses. The industry needs a way to track down the right experience to bring best practice to all aspects of the retail business. CKB will provide the industry with a shop window to the skills and experience of some of the best ‘hands on’ convenience and petroleum retail professionals in the world."
CKB consultants have over 225 years' collective convenience retail experience, from convenience managing director, to global marketing, supply chain, business development, buying, format, global brand, systems, merchandising, trading and fuels roles. They have dealt with issues ranging from merchandising initiatives to creating a strategic plan for a global retail business.
Stephanie Rice, a CKB consultant with 20 years’ experience of the convenience retail sector including nine at board level as marketing director of Musgrave Budgens Londis, likened the concept to bringing together the skills and experience of a management board, which can be outsourced.
“The principle of pulling together a team of people with different key skills is a really good idea,” she said.
For Rice, who provides marketing support to small and medium-sized businesses as well as UK Department of Health convenience stores, there could not be a better time to launch CKB.
“People have never been more demanding about staying ahead in the current climate. There is a great demand to understand innovation and build sales and have a route that is cost effective. To have a one-stop shop of expertise, especially in the UK, which is seen as the leading edge for convenience, is something that will be in real demand.”
Strategic facilitator, Raymond Maingard, is one of the international consultants on board. Maingard has over 30 years’ experience with leading South African retail organisations and developed the award-winning joint venture between Engen Petroleum and Woolworths South Africa. Emerging markets, in particular, are a key area of focus for Maingard.
“In the current economic climate, the launch of CKB is spot on,” said Maingard.
“Convenience Knowledge Bank enables me to follow my passion,” he said. “I love doing strategic work, facilitation and workshops, which get everyone to work towards a common goal.
“I don’t want to be occupied with areas of the business with which I am not comfortable or up-to-date. By having a pool of talent and experience, the clients are regularly able to select from a good cross section of skills and executives who are particularly passionate about their own areas. There are no generalists.
“People want up-to-date and current thinking and solutions for the markets they are trading in. It’s far better to go straight to those consultants who are knowledgeable and really up-to-date with best practice in their field.”
Kieron Mayes, an experienced retail operator, and CKB consultant, agreed. Mayes has worked in both multiple and convenience businesses working across operations, retail marketing and merchandising plus format development including setting up Reliance Industries' retail operation in India from scratch.
“The key difference between Convenience Knowledge Bank and traditional consultancies is that CKB executives are not just used to talking about the business but they are people who have been and done it, and done it successfully, and are prepared to share with others on a hands on daily basis.”
The 12 CKB consultants are: Veronica Alexander, Fiona Briggs, Garry Craft, Keith Jackson, Arabella Lacarta, Ray Maingard, Kieron Mayes, Peter O Toole, Stephanie Rice, Peter Segal, Jim Snowdon and Gray Taylor.
Click here for more about them and to contact CKB.