Role: Shop Owner
Company: Total-Hockey, Bandbridge
Track Record: Steven said: “With the challenges facing high street trading, we knew we had to diversify and online was the answer.”
What does your job entail?
We are a hockey retail business.
We sell hockey equipment including sticks, hockey shoes and goalkeeping equipment.
Our family-run store in Banbridge is our base in Northern Ireland but we have developed a thriving online business through our website www.totalhockey.com.
We sell to the general public and to clubs and schools both locally and further afield.
We are currently supplying hockey equipment to several schools and clubs in Spain.
Is it 9-5?
The shop in Banbridge is open 9am- 5.30pm, but online our business is 24- hours a day, 365 days a year.
As a family run business 9am-5pm doesn’t cover it as we are always working in the shop, working to improve the business or coming in early to make sure we can get our online orders picked, packed and posted on time.
We pride ourselves on our customer service both in-store and on-line.
We believe every customer should be treated the same whether they are purchasing a product in our store in Banbridge or buying online.
How did you get into this line of work?
The business was established in 1920 as McMurray & Co, a family run draper shop based in Banbridge and established by our great grandfather and then managed by our father, Brian McMurray.
In 2001 the shop was damaged in a building accident and the shop had to move to smaller premises while the new shop was being re-built.
This became a turning point in the business as I decided to open a hockey department and Total-Hockey was born.
In 2006 my brother, Alan, joined the business from his job as development officer for Ulster Hockey and the business continued to grow with the remaining drapery departments closing and the hockey aspect taking over as the core business.
Outline your career?
My father has been in the retail business for most of his life which started with an apprenticeship with House of Frazer in Glasgow before taking over the company, McMurray & Co, from my grandfather.
I started work in the shop after leaving school and then took over the running of the business from 2000.
The final family member, my brother Alan, joined in 2006 after 13 years as Ulster Hockey development officer.
Tell us about your qualifications/training.
Our qualifications have come from life experience and on-the-job training from running the business.
With the challenges facing high street trading we knew we had to diversify and online was the answer.
With our thirst to ensure the family business survived in these changing times we developed our knowledge of social media and internet shopping.
What qualities are required for your job — personal and professional?
As an established, family business the main quality has to be service, both in our shop and online — it is one of the corner stones of our business.
The other main quality is knowledge of our products, our customers and new ways to reach your customers.
Many retailers find it hard to establish how their products and customers are integrating in the current technological rich environment.
We spend many hours investigating our customers’ shopping habits through Google analytics in order to give the customer the best possible shopping experience.
We also review the customer engagement that has developed through our Facebook page, constantly interacting and having meaningful dialogue with our fans.
What are the biggest challenges and rewards of your work?
One of the biggest challenges to the business is the e-commerce aspect of the hockey market — especially price comparison sites.
This is an essential aspect of the customer shopping experience.
But this element of the purchase is starting to change as more and more hockey players are looking for quality, long lasting products.
The main reward is that, through our aim of providing a top quality customer service, we have built a database of repeat custom from loyal shoppers both in the shop and online.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I play squash for the civil service in Belfast and have played for the past five years for the Irish over-35’s.
I also have a young family which takes up the rest of my free time.
Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
I worked for the UK Sports Council for 10 years and was part of their anti-doping programme which took me all over the UK and Ireland to many different sporting events.
Who has inspired you most in your life?
In recent times the people who have inspired me are retail consultants like Mary Portas and Alex Polizzi.
They have fantastic ideas and solutions on what retailers need to do to survive in the current challenging retail environment.
Currently we have engaged our own retail consultant, Des Mulholland, who is working with us to develop the business.