Manually changing hundreds of prices, checkout errors, and working overtime? See how Małgorzata from Leeds, the owner of a Polish shop, used a government voucher to finance technology that paid off in 5 months and gave her invaluable free time.
Many owners of Polish shops in the UK reach a wall – working for dozens of hours a day, constantly battling pricing errors and inventory management issues become the norm. Małgorzata’s story from Leeds shows that there is an effective way out of this impasse, and the key may be support that not everyone knows about.
Programs like the Digital Growth Voucher are government or local initiatives aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in digital transformation. It is not complicated bureaucracy available only to large players. It is real money that can cover a significant portion of the costs of investing in technologies that genuinely solve the everyday problems of store owners.
The principle is simple: the local government or development agency offers funding, usually in the form of reimbursement of part of the expenses incurred for equipment or software. The most common model is a refund of 40-50% of eligible costs, up to a specified amount, for example, £5,000. This means that by investing in a project worth £10,000, you can get back as much as £5,000. It is crucial to check the criteria – they usually relate to the location of the company (e.g., in a given county), annual turnover, or the number of employees.
The catalog of technologies that can be funded from such a program is wide and perfectly tailored to the needs of retail. These are not abstract solutions but tools that bring immediate benefits. The most popular include:
Małgorzata has been running a popular Polish shop in Leeds for over seven years. As she admits, for a long time she operated in a state of constant “firefighting.” Her story vividly illustrates how a strategic investment, supported by external financing, can transform a business.
A scenario familiar to many owners: Monday morning and a pile of invoices with new prices from suppliers. Małgorzata or her employee spent at least 5-6 hours a week printing, cutting, and changing price tags. Mistakes were inevitable. Customers at the checkout regularly pointed out that the price on the shelf was different from that in the system, leading to frustration and financial losses. Inventory management relied on notes and “memory,” resulting in losses on expired products and shortages of popular goods on the shelves. Weekends, instead of with family, were often spent in the store catching up on backlogs.
She learned about the Digital Growth Voucher program by chance, from a newsletter from the local chamber of commerce. She decided to give it a try. After consulting with a technology advisor, she identified two key areas requiring immediate improvement: price management and inventory control. The choice fell on an integrated POS system connected with electronic shelf labels (ESL). The total cost of the project, including equipment, software, and implementation, amounted to £8,200. After submitting the application and meeting the criteria, Małgorzata received funding of 50% of this amount, which is £4,100. Her actual financial contribution was £4,100.
The initial results exceeded her expectations. Changing the prices of hundreds of products, which previously took half a day’s work, now occurred with just a few clicks in the system and took literally 15 minutes. Pricing errors at the checkout were eliminated by 100%, which not only improved profitability but also rebuilt customer trust. The POS system continuously updated inventory levels, generating automatic alerts for low-stock products and reports on slow-moving items. For the first time in years, Małgorzata could fully consciously manage orders, reducing losses on expired dairy products and cold cuts by over 80%.
The most compelling argument for digitization is hard data. Let’s analyze how Małgorzata’s investment translated into tangible savings and how quickly it paid off. The calculations are based on real data from her store and minimum wage rates in the UK.
Before implementing the technology, hidden costs generated by inefficient processes were enormous:
Total annual financial savings amounted to £8,957.
With this data, we can calculate how profitable this decision was:
We calculate ROI by dividing the annual profit by the incurred costs and multiplying the result by 100%.
ROI = (£8,957 / £4,100) x 100% = 218%
This means that every year, the investment generates more than double its cost. Even more illustrative is the payback period, or the time after which the investment “paid off.”
Payback period = Own contribution / (Annual profit / 12 months) = £4,100 / (£8,957 / 12) = 5.5 months.
Małgorzata’s investment, supported by the voucher, paid off in less than half a year. From that moment on, technology began to generate pure profit, not to mention the immeasurable benefit – regained time and peace of mind.
This story is not only an inspiration but above all a collection of practical lessons for every owner of a Polish shop in the UK who feels stuck at a standstill.
Małgorzata’s story from Leeds is proof that even a small but well-thought-out investment in technology can bring revolutionary changes. Check the available support programs in your area. Digitizing your store can be much simpler and cheaper than you think, and you will feel the benefits both in your business budget and in your personal life.
