Retailer Profile: G3 Surfshop, Peniche, Portugal
Shop Name: G3 Surfshop
Location: PENICHE – Portugal
Age of Shop (years trading): 4 wonderful years old
Brands Stocked: Volcom, Insight, Element, Carhartt, DC, Etnies, GLOBE, FALLEN, Dickies, Analog, Vonzipper, DRAGON, NIXON, Vestal, etc.
What percentage of your sales are from online business compared to your in-store sales?
The online sales market in Portugal is still building. Our online shop on facebook was built to catch up with that market, because we have clients and friends from everywhere! Some months we have 10% of our sales provided by the online shop on Facebook.
What are the benefits of having a physical shop over simply having an online store?
We are the biggest physical shop concept supporters! Online shops are mechanic, and totally not personal. You don’t have direct access to know-hows of fits and sizes. Nobody is going to explain to you the differences between a Limited Edition, and a special leather shoe. It doesn’t have a face, or a voice. We do.
What makes your store different and in what ways does your store excel beyond your competition?
The human part…we are experts on dealing with people! The whole concept of G3 is pure personality: from the ideas to the designs, from the concepts to new branches of business. We study a lot, and we try to stay on top of everything that effects the surf/skate/lifetyle world. We are in love with our job!
What trends do you see upcoming?
The brands are becoming even more eclectic. Brands like INSIGHT are putting the trends on a different level. Personality and claim is the future!
What kind of advice can you give other independent retailers who are trying to compete against the big box megastores?
Give up mate! That is not the way. Explain that to your customers, and to yourself. The future is to get back to the roots: street shops with familiar faces and specific voices!
Study hard, and improve your business with NEW ideas of business. Improving a house, is sometimes better than buying a new one.
Fall in love with your clients, and treat them like kings! And then Study more!
What are you doing to pull people into your store?
We are going to open a G3 Tattoo Club inside of our shop! www.facebook.com/G3surfshop
How confident are you for the coming season?
After the RIP CURL PRO Peniche, a WCT round, I’m sure that there is a lot of people that want to visit Peniche, Portugal!
How’s the local market in these days?
We´re facing a terrible crisis in Portugal, but we´re trying to run ever faster! 10 years ago was really easy to work this market…right now you need to have a really good organization and a image that allows you to keep on selling. You need Strategy!
