Win the Weekend - How to give yourself time off

Time off in retail can sometimes feel like the impossible dream. Research* tells us that 49% of retailers hadn’t had a day off in the year to September 2021; figures backed up by our own independent research, which showed that 78% of store owners “value the health of their business over their own physical or mental health”.

To raise awareness of this, SBF GB&I gave one lucky retailer a cash prize and the help they needed to take two days out of their business to unwind, recharge and relax. The winning store was Greens of Bassingham in Lincolnshire, run by Tracy Raybould and Michael Saunders.

SBF GB&I partnered with high-profile award-winning retailer Paul Cheema, who has more than 30 years’ experience in retailing and runs two stores near Coventry, to manage Tracy and Michael’s shop while they spent their prize money and took some well-earned time off.

You can check out how we got on over our two days in store – and what it meant to Tracy and Michael and their customers – in this video:

To help retailers learn from our research, and the time we spent in Tracy and Michael’s store, we have created a short booklet, which includes tips and advice from leading retailers, as well as more from Tracy and Michael themselves.