WHY USE A STOCK AUDITOR?

Stock audits are vital for the success of your pub, restaurant, hotel or venue

Why Use a Stock Auditor? A comprehensive audit provides the operators with all the necessary information and guidance to not only report on historical trading but make informed decisions on how the business should trade in the future.

  • Improved profitability: By providing accurate data and insights, a stock auditor helps you reduce waste, prevent shrinkage, and optimize ordering.

  • Accurate stocktakes: Stock auditors use advanced technology and methods to perform accurate stocktakes.

  • Enhanced decision-making: With detailed reports and analysis, a stock auditor can help you make informed decisions about your inventory, pricing, and operations.

  • Increased efficiency: Using a stock auditor saves you valuable time and resources that can be better spent on other areas of your business.

  • Accurate inventory management: A stock auditor can help you manage your inventory more accurately, ensuring that you always have the right amount of stock on hand.

The largest cost to any licensed trade business is its stock. It’s therefore vital that you achieve the maximum return possible.

“Our services could make the difference between success and failure…”

Stephen Grantham, Stockcheck

Tips on how to optimise stock control and prepare for an audit

Liquor

Get to know the products, how to dispense them correctly and avoid waste.

Know the selling price. You’d be amazed how many clients under charge for items they sell.

Make sure you’re prepared for your stock auditors visit. Ensure the Bar and Storage areas are clean and tidy, with all paperwork (invoices, revenue, allowances etc) ready and neatly filed in date order.

At the end of your auditors visit, be prepared to spend time to discuss their findings and agree a plan of action to help improve your business.

Remember, ANY loss of product is a loss of cash to the business. This needs to be recorded so that adjustments to the report can be made.

Food

Plan your menu: Every dish needs to be costed to ensure you achieve the G.P margin you require.

Be aware of changes to cost prices: Most food items will eventually change in price, and they rarely go down! Items that are in season may rise significantly when the season finishes. Talk with your suppliers to discuss when increases are likely. Make sure you’re able to react, possibly with a change to the selling price, or maybe using an alternative product could be an option.

Avoid waste: Fresh produce of course has a short shelf life. Make sure you don’t over-order, and always rotate the stock.

Portion size: Too small a portion and of course the customer isn’t happy, too much and it could be returned as waste. Correct portion size is vital.

Storage: Correct storage of all food items is important. Temperature, humidity, external odours, and poor storage could all lead to possible wastage.

The Paperwork – Stock Records

Your Stock Auditor needs to know about ALL of the following paperwork.

  • PURCHASES: Invoices, delivery notes, credit notes, statements. Remember it doesn’t matter whether you’ve paid for the goods yet or not, they all must be recorded as delivered within the stock period.
  • TRANSFER NOTES: If you’re part of a group, or have a multi-bar site, then remember to provide transfer notes for all goods that leave or move around the site. They should have stock items clearly detailed, dated, and be signed by the sending and receiving parties.
  • TAKINGS INFORMATION: Ideally this should be available in 2 forms.
  • TILL SALES A breakdown of all products sold, showing the number of units sold, and the revenue received. It maybe further extended into product group totals, and Food and Liquor allocations.
  • DAILY BUSINESS DONE. Either a manual or computer record showing the amount of business done, split between cash and credit sales. The Stocktaker will look to establish if the Till Sales and the Daily business done are the same.
  • CASH CHECK AUDITS. If directed, the stocktaker may be required to conduct a CASH CHECK. This procedure calculates the amount of CASH that should be on-site at the time of their visit. To do this the following additional information is ALSO required.
  • BANKINGS Date and value, with a split between CASH AND CHEQUE.
  • PETTY CASH RECEIPTS Any cash payments made to suppliers.
  • ALLOWANCE RECORDS. Any product that has not generated a cash sale at the expected level should be recorded as an allowance.

Examples of Allowance records are:

  • Pipe Clean – the amount of draught beer lost during the cleaning process. A combination of beer initially lost as the cleaning fluid enters the lines, and subsequently when the cleaning fluid is removed and beer is returned to the lines.
  • Breakages – Accidents do happen. It’s important that they’re recorded (by value and description)
  • Promotions – Items where the full expected sales value will not be received should be identified.

The following examples are:

  • 2 FOR 1 PROMOTIONS
  • QUIZ PRIZES
  • REDUCED PRICE SALES
  • COMPLIMENTARY DRINKS – CUSTOMER COMPLAINT
  • MANAGEMENT DRINKS
  • STAFF DRINKS

Preparing for a stock auditor to visit your site

Ensure your bar & storage areas are kept clean & tidy

A stock auditor shouldn’t be required to tidy the bar before they count. Untidy bars and storage areas increase the time it takes to complete the count. This of course increases our time on-site, which may result in additional charges. It of course also increases the risk of counting errors, which could result in an inaccurate stocktake.

It’s always better for stock to be organised prior to being counted. Fridges full, stocktakers love straight lines! Case products tidy and in one location if possible, empties separated from full.

Always ensure your stock auditor is made aware of all storage areas. Make sure they’re unlocked and nothing is hidden.

Remember places like:

  • Staff \ Management accommodation

  • Cash & Carry order that’s still in the boot of the car!
  • That special cupboard where expensive stock is stored
  • Sheds, garages and outside areas.

Be prepared to spend time with your stock auditor

This is a team effort, 1000’s of items purchased, £1000’s taken, all doesn’t happen without a few queries and questions from your stocktaker. You will need to spend time with them at various times during the audit.

Once a result is reached, in our opinion it’s then that the Stocktaker is most valuable. It’s time to discuss their findings.

  • Surplus \ Deficit – Can it be identified where the product variances are from?
  • Gross Profit % – Is it within your expectations, can it be improved? Let us advise you.
  • Can cost prices be reduced? – Improved purchasing equals higher profits
  • Are selling prices in line with your competitors, can a higher price be achieved?
  • What about promotions, have they been successful?
  • Allowances – They do have an effect on profitability. Can they be reduced?
  • The Stocktaker sees many different business models and can offer a wealth of advice and experience.

Logonn – Our online stock management system

In addition to traditional stocktaking services, our internet-based stock management system ‘Logonn’ provides a valuable and efficient tool to conduct in-house stock auditing, with 24/7 access and support by stocktaking experts. Operating from any internet-connected PC, LOGONN allows interim stock results, line checks and historical reporting at a time suitable to the end user, all for a fraction of the costs of other comparable systems.

Discover more about Logonn and download a free trial at: https://www.logonn.co.uk

Explore The Possibilities

Are you looking for Stocktaking Services or are you considering joining our team of Stocktakers? Contact our team on 0800 028 1875, email enquiries@stockcheck.co.uk or fill in the form below to take the next step.