I’m pleased to say that our turnover level in August will be double what we did in August 2009.
I gave up years ago trying to analyse trends, and predict what is going to happen next.
Major retailers are filling the media with stories of fragility, and doom about what is around the corner.Whereas Brands appear to be finally "putting their money where their mouths are". I was at Diageo last week - their display development plans are inspired, we’ve now got to come up with the goods!
Impulse are also prototyping for two large FMCG brands, and rather than the work being speculative, the capital expenditure is already signed off, and its now just a case of type of unit, rather than wondering if it will actually happen at all.
i take some heart from this, and hope we are not being naive in believing that these are positive signs of a recovering recession.
Impulse welcome the opportunity to work with Brands and Retailers directly, or via chosen partners - give us a call to see just how good we are!

Impulse have just finished 2nd quarter of the financial year. The business is enjoying unprecedented levels of enquires, but the important fact is how much is being won?
Unlike our competitors Blogs, which only ever focus on the wins, i feel its also important to understand the disappointments - as we can’t win them all!

Win or Lose on Price.....
We have noticed that there is a consistent policy of some companies in our sector that will push the price down to dangerous levels. We declined to continue our involvement in a large tender last month, when the price level went below the true manufactured cost of the product.
We are disappointed to not be doing the work - as we could have had the order, if we could have hit a certain price. But there’s no point, if it puts the business at risk.
I think this highlights the fragility of the Retail Sector. We all seem busy (speaking to others in our sector) - but the importance of Profit (and therefore Survival) over Turnover is less so for some.

Win or lose the right type of work for your business...
Impulse are finalising details on a new project, a new client for the business. The process has been a fantastic learning process, where a good relationship has been developed, and the strength of this partnership has meant that we were able to choose the elements of the project that best suited our business, and this therefore gives the best service to the client. This isn’t always possible, but it does prove the strength and honesty of your relationship with your client.

Impulse have just completed refreshing the website.
Its been a busy year, big new wins include Thorntons PLC and Choices, read more about it in the portfolio area.
A large part of our business is in the Displaying of DVD and Software , we produce a standard range of free-standing, and wall units. in the last 2 months we have rolled out Spinner units to all Maplins stores, and are currently trialling the same units in 30 x Asda Stores.
Impulse will plan store layouts, or manufacture Bespoke solutions.

We are experiencing the necessary evil of The Large Tender process at the moment, currently four on the go, all in completely different FMCG sectors.
They are all Christmas related, and already the potentially cheaper overseas window is fast closing as the month of June disappears.
As a UK Manufacturer, you could say this is playing perfectly into our hands - but i do sympathise with the Brand Owners. The need to drive cost out has become more important, yet the inflationary effect on all materials, and the decreasing cost differences in Eastern Europe is causing difficult margin issues.
Impulse can offer either UK or Overseas Supply Chain - speak to us so you can make an informed choice.

its been a while, I’m glad to say we’ve been unexpectedly busy, and the prospects for 2010 are much improved!

Impulse are busier than ever developing in two completely different areas: on the one hand, we are creating a breath of fresh air in the one of the UK’s largest Niche food retailers – a project aptly named “Impulse 2010″. We have taken new sweet ranges, and displayed them on a new system that retro-fits onto the existing Shopkit in store. We have achieved clear category segmentation, and are very proud of the “WOW” factor created by the 4 metre display. After the launch, we’ll publish the case study on our website.

On the other hand, we have developed an Interactive Display with a DVD Retailer, which is undergoing an aggressive trial programme – and are installing the first 20 sites in April. Fingers crossed!

January and February seem to have been constant pitching – Michele Jones, our designer, has never been so busy – and we are now seeing the benefit of all the hard work.

I’ve been looking for Design inspiration on the internet, and found the following post quite stimulating

The main issues discussed is common sense, but using the “Entice/Invite/Engage/Empower” model, it helps you to analyse the process you are following. I found it a useful prompt, I hope you do too.

Thankfully we can put 2009 behind us!
There is definately a better feel to 2010, and we are already in a better Sales position than January 2009.
We’ve had meetings in London today – discussing a large roll-out destined for the High Street in March.

Did you know…..?
One of Impulse’s core strengths is the production of Entertainment Displays
We’ve produced thousands of DVD / CD Displays over the years, and have a vast knowledge of the best ways to present all Multimedia Formats.
Lately we have been seeing a trend towards Nintendo DS products along side the normal DVD displays – Bluray is our next growth area.
Impulse design and manufacture bespoke Music Displays, and produce a range of standard Spinner Displays – we’ll be adding details of these to our website soon.

I spent a good day last week at Destination Growth, speakers included Greg Dyke and Alan Sugar and the commercial director of Williams F1. The most interesting was Michelle Mone, the founder of Ultimo Bras – an inspiring talk.

Its always a good confidence builder going to these conferences, you leave with a renewed passion for success, which is something we all need from time to time.

We have had a good few weeks, are through to the final stages of a major pitch for a premium Chocolate Retailer, and in the early stages of developing a Music System destined for the aisles of a major grocer.

Christmas….. just as we thought we were seeing the last of Christmas POP work, we have taken on three orders today on short lead-times – which of course we are happy to do!

it seems that no-one really knows what is going on in Retail – and Christmas is just another milestone to reach, and survive past for many.

After a difficult year we are now enjoying a busy period. Impulse Point of Purchase Designs and Builds Point of Purchase Displays.

After investing £250,000 in a new laser machine at the end of last year, we are now at full capacity for the machine for the next 4 weeks, 24 hours a day.

is this a sign of the economy picking up? I believe that it is looking brighter, but as demand has been so low for 12 months stocks are low, we should remain busy for a while – well thats me being optimistic! We had some exciting news on Friday – we are through to the last stage on a Tender for a large Confectionary Business. Fingers crossed for the final stages..