Lameez began on a light note, mentioning a busy run of celebrations including Eid and family birthdays. Turning to the shop, Leather & Suede put one of the students’ suggestions into practice straight away: simplifying and decluttering the front of the store by grouping bags and colours together.

The change has already paid off. Leather & Suede reported a clear increase in luggage sales and confirmed that spacing items out has reduced the sense of “bombardment” customers used to feel on walking in. On the data side, the team tracks where customers come from and uses WhatsApp to send review links, noting that many international visitors discover the shop through Google Maps.

While a digital stock system is in place and customer origins are noted on receipts, they acknowledged that this particular information still needs to be fully digitised.

The team is careful to set expectations around timing: January and February are tough “survival mode” months in Cape Town, yet even in that quieter window the small changes made a noticeable difference.

The catch-up closed with heartfelt thanks from Lameez to the Imperial team. Lameez felt the students went “above and beyond” what their module required, praised their professionalism, and wished them the very best of luck in their upcoming graduations and careers.