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YOU RIGHT FRANCHISING IT SERVOS A servo’s business model is key to being able to adapt. Businesses that are part of a franchise network or buying group are often able to access support that enables them to react quickly when they need to. By Peter Howard. B arely 13 months ago the declaration of a pandemic caused a descent into pandemonium, and the world we once knew disappeared. With panic buying and local lockdowns playing havoc with regular shopping patterns, retailers needed to act fast. Today, our world is very different. Shopping patterns have altered, loyalties have changed, and local shopping has strengthened in a trend that bodes well for the future of the convenience sector. With market intelligence key to retail strategy, and buying power vital for profitability, this feature looks at how franchising and other collaborative business models helped many small business owners to not only survive but also thrive during a year in which a significant number of national retailers across the world went bankrupt. Survival While many Australian retailers experienced economic disruption, the convenience sector remained robust. This is in part because Covid lockdowns led to a resurgence in local and convenience shopping, but also because many of those businesses received important early support. In the early stages of Covid, a huge decline in fuel sales sent shivers through the service station sector, prompting peak body the Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association (ACAPMA) to step in and support its members on a practical level with a range of value-add services. ACAPMA CEO Mark McKenzie tells Convenience World the significant reduction in demand for fuel was a serious concern, particularly as it came before some countervailing trends emerged to help the convenience sector. TO PAGE 60 MAR/APR, 2021 CONVENIENCE WORLD 59