The motorway service operator Moto says an audit programme with the leading Mystery Shopping Company Retail Active to monitor stock availability during its peak summer trading period was a great success.
Moto, which has 43 sites, is one of the most recognisable brands on the UK motorway network
The audit programme named ‘Fit for The Weekend’, ran from Easter to the August bank holiday aimed to ensure that retail shelves were correctly stocked and brand standards were maintained.
Retail Active was asked to monitor Moto’s estate and to produce instant audit reports for their various branded retail offers.
Moto’s head or retail category management, Ed Sutton, hailed the exercise as a success.
He said: “It helped us as a business to protect the availability of our products at key trading times. The aim was to make sure the shelves were correctly stocked and to monitor changing displays, promotions and standards.
“If you haven’t got central stock figures daily or hourly, the only measure is to physically go in somewhere and have a look – then you have to wait for a stock statement.
“Using Retail Active saved hours of management time. We went from the not knowing - to the knowing about what was happening on the ground.
“Did our standards improve during the audit? Yes they did. We started in the red and moved into the black and pretty much stayed there.
“This is definitely something we want to continue.
“Retail Active are a great, positive, professional auditing company who deliver what they agree to do. You have only got to look at their client base to understand why.
“We operate in quite a unique sector and they adapted well to that. They came into a business like Moto and adapted themselves to work how we wanted them to work.
“The project was delivered to the brief.”
Retail Active’s managing director, Julian Chamberlain said: “Our speciality is the speed with which we report back to management, which means they can respond instantly to any issues, which arise.
“We were able to rapidly text scores back to senior managers so they can react to information as it happens.
“We announce our presence to staff and if anything is not up to standard we record it and encourage them to get it right while we are there. We are not out to apportion blame – simply to maintain and improve standards. Our aim is to ensure that the business is fit to trade effectively during busy periods.
“Our expertise means we can deliver fast, accurate information – which allows executives to understand the situation in real time in dozens of outlets – while saving hours of management time and costs.”
