HC Bahrain is officially OPEN!!!

Hello Blog Followers

Sorry for abandoning you for a couple of days but I think you know it’s all been in a good cause.

We’re doing stonkingly good trade in our lovely little HC Bahrain and I’m really proud of our team and our beautiful store. Here’s the story of the last few days.

Wednesday was the most frustrating day in the world, as we waited, waited, waited and waited some more for our remaining stock from the warehouse, and prayed, prayed, prayed that our emergency delivery from the UK would make it through customs and into the mall in time. I had a half empty store and couldn’t stretch the product any further. The Selector sign came back though. Tills still didn’t work, despite turning them off and on again… ;-))

Finally, at 7.30pm, we got word that the driver was outside. After some serious negotiation with mall security we were allowed to bring the stock into store, and we set about getting it onto the shelves. I committed some atrocious visual merchandising crimes but I simply don’t care! UK store managers, please tell me I’m not alone in thinking if I never see another Engraved Heart it will be too soon!

Ana and I left the store at 10pm thinking we’d come in on Thursday morning, cool as cucumbers, distribute a few price labels and open in a relaxed and calm manner. Imagine my surprise, then, when we arrived next morning to find the entire store, and every bit of product, coated in thick, thick dust where the hoarding had been taken down overnight. I got well caught out with that one. I guess we take the hoarding down before we merchandise, don’t we, team? I didn’t know…

2 hours of frantic cleaning later, and some more nonsense from IT (woop, ,woop, the tills work), and we’re ready to go.

Shutters up, tasting tray ready, team groomed. Ta daa! HC Bahrain is officially open.

1 hour later and the store is heaving. Rich Saudis are plundering the shelves. Giant Slabs are flying out of the door. Selectors are going so fast I have one person on constant rearrangement (no replen stock, just rearranging!). Smiley Licks and Tiddly Pots are attracting big boys and girls as well as little ones. And Team HC Bahrain is performing its socks off.

I nip round to Costa’s wifi zone and send the announcement to the UK. Lovely reply messages – thanks, everyone!

And then a fantastic moment when we meet, let’s call her, Mrs Very Rich Indeed from Saudi Arabia. “I’d like 4 of those Sleeksters please.” “Certainly madam, and how about this beautiful Chocolatier’s Table at only BD80 (= £134)?” “Yes, OK, one of those too, and best make it 7 of the Sleeksters and 4 of these H boxes. They’re very pretty.”

Pick jaw up from floor. Did I really just slide in a Chocolatier’s Table there? Transact more than £300. Send text to Angus! Receive immediate excited response!

And so the day went on. After 3 hours, we’d beaten the target that I had set for the entire day, and we still had 11 hours of trading to go. By 4pm, I was so worried about the fact that we were going to sell out of the stock that we expected to last about 3 weeks, I was heading back to the office for an emergency transfer of product from Kuwait. Kuwait won’t be open for another fortnight; it won’t know I’ve stolen its stock.

A quick look round at 6pm tells me that if they can see the chocolate, they’re buying the product. If they can’t see it, they’re not interested. Enrobed Fruit, Vintage Buttons, Peel Me An Orange, Tour and Baby Boom sit unloved and unwanted. Liquid Chocolat smirks smugly as another bottle leaves for a new home.

The store continues trading until midnight when it closes with a cracking good 2½ times target in its till. (Well, obviously not in its till. That would be very poor closing procedure, wouldn’t it? But you know what I mean.) The shutter rolls down on pleasingly empty shelves. And I nip off to the airport for a very special rendezvous.

What a wonderful day!