How can we help?

With 30 years’ experience in Business Strategy and Commercial Development across culture, heritage, charities, specialist retail and hospitality, John Barford Consultancy helps businesses by identifying and developing strategy, scenario planning, business modelling, supporting change and leading or advising on operational delivery.

Specialisms

Specialisms include Retail, Ecommerce, Catering, Venue Hire, Events, Visitor and Customer Experience, Brand Licensing and Project Management.

Services

Catering

I help clients evaluate options between in house operations or outsourcing. I have led projects to transform food concepts to provide tiered offers, targeting different customer segments, ranging from a tuck shop and shake bar to fine dining in a railway carriage.

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Scenario planning & Business modelling

I work with clients to develop alternative scenarios for new business or refocusing existing business activity, the aim being to identify new sources of revenue and profit. The formulation of dynamic business models enables these scenarios to be tested and developed.

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Retail & ecommerce

Commencing with identifying the existing and potential customer, I advise on or implement retail strategy, merchandise planning, store design, visual merchandising, marketing, EPOS & ecommerce platforms and organisational structure & staffing. The objective is always to create unique, engaging and profitable customer experiences.

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Strategy

Using my deep knowledge of the cultural and heritage sectors and specialist retail and catering, I identify and develop strategies which form the cornerstone of the projects I work on. The overarching aim is to deliver exciting and engaging, retail, hospitality and other commercial activities which drive profit, deliver excellent customer experiences and add value to the brand profitably.

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Change management

In addition to recommending organisational structures to meet new or changed objectives, I undertake interim roles to support teams through periods of change by identifying and agreeing objectives for the assignment at the outset, assimilating information quickly and building strong team and cross functional relationships.

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  • John’s knowledge and expertise ensure he can quickly interpret and prioritise competing needs to deliver a complex remit. The capacity to see and understand the key deliverables which are important to a project or business enables him to provide outstanding strategic support.

    Siobhán Tighe, Director of Finance and Operations, The Design Museum

  • John Barford is a highly recommended retail consultant, particularly in the charity, heritage and arts sector. From his response to the brief, interview and during working with us, John illustrated great expertise in commercial development. He adopted a truly immersive and collaborative style to working with BCA, taking the time to understand the culture of the organisation, creating a vision for a truly wholistic retail experience and identifying possible business models to support the strategy.

    Hannah John, Resilience Manager, Black Cultural Archives