Jane Shepherdson, one of the most important women in British fashion, isn’t just a clothing expert. She’s also a retail store merchandising guru. In an interview with Australia’s Inside Retailing Online, she gives a bonanza of great ideas for any retailer. She practices them at Topshop, the women’s clothing store chain she helped turn around.

I really like what she has to say. If your store could use a boost in the sales and merchandising areas, I suggest you read the interview. Here are a few nuggets of wisdom she offers:

- To keep shoppers coming back, create what Shepherdson calls “fashion Disney”–an entertaining shopping experience…”It’s up to the retailers to provide an experience that’s a bit more fun than just the average ‘pile it high, sell it cheap-type experience.”

- “Obviously people will stay in your store longer if it’s exciting to look at, it’s interesting, it’s tempting–there are unexpected things within it.”

- “To me it makes such perfect sense that if you want people to come and spend time in your store and spend a lot of money with you, you have to equally put in a lot of effort into making it a fun experience.”

- Constantly innovate, try new things and move forward.

- Take risks–you have to frighten yourself.

- Be ruthless, don’t buy anything you aren’t proud of. Customers should be able to trust your choices.

- Always offer great value. Greedy margins can actually devalue your business. Respect your customer. “My retail philosophy is, if your customers love something it will be profitable. So always ask, ‘Will they love it?’ not ‘What will it cost?’ ”

- Be creative with visual merchandising and shop windows.

- Create links with design colleges–they’re a great source of ideas.

- Don’t work in a vacuum – you end up recycling the same things.

- Don’t be afraid to try something new–everything is worth a try. Keep pushing the boundaries…

- Keep the product mix changing to reflect changing customer demand.

- Don’t be afraid of running out of stock.

I couldn’t have said it better myself. That’s why I let Shepherdson say it all. Take a look at the Topshop website, too, to see how she practices what she preaches.