00-00 FFT Lockdown_muk.qxp_Grid 25/06/2020 15:49 Page 18
Food for thought
Marking these unprecedented times for retailing, several independent cookshops and housewares stockists reflect on how the coronavirus lockdown influenced their business and share their thoughts on trade as physical stores reopen.
Presenting a good mix Richard Baker, co-owner of Cilla and Camilla With four shops in West Dorset including its cookshop in Sherborne and a boutique department store in Beauminster, commented: “I hope it doesn’t sound too complacent, but our approach to our Sherborne Cookshop will be no different post-lockdown, to what it was prelockdown. It’s all about range and service. We’ve always tried to hold the widest possible range, and we’ve always tried to give the best possible service - we’ll try to do more of the same. We are using social media as a marketing
Beyond lockdown who visit Sherborne for leisure purposes, and from those who travel in from surrounding villages. That business will only return when restrictions are further lifted, and people become comfortable with travel. We’re in the fortunate position of being strong enough to wait for that business to return and don’t really expect to be back anything like close to last year until Christmas. Inset: Cilla and Camilla’s boutique There’s clearly going to be department store, which sells homewares, in the picturesque behavioural change in the town of Beauminster. short term as we impose restrictions on customers. But, I suspect much of that medium a lot more than we were, and that change will be genuinely short to medium emphasis will continue. But, we had term and in most cases retail life will return planned this anyway; it has not really a to largely how it was - minus quite a few pandemic driven initiative. more multiple retailers whose trading We have been very cautious in our forecasts - as well as our very loyal local customers, we benefit greatly from those
We’ve grown and moved! Emmie Brookman, social media and marketing manager at online retailer Silver Mushroon reports:
Inset: In a good location, particularly when tourists return: Cilla and Camilla in Sherbourne.
“When lockdown was announced, we were expecting to be super quiet and we had even planned things that my sister Rebecca and I could do with our free-time. It’s safe to say, this was not the case for Silver Mushroom. We started off the pandemic as a team of just five - three office girls and two packers - and we have now hired 25+ extra ‘Mushrooms’ and moved into a shiny new warehouse. Our sales have blown up, more than we could have ever imagined. We are so grateful to all of our wonderful customers for and for being able to provide work to so many people who had found themselves without work due to Covid-19. It’s been a whirlwind of madness, laughter, excitement and joy, all wrapped up in a pair of rubber gloves and a facemask! We have seen lots of customers purchasing full sets of organisational items, I think everybody has been using the time to get their homes in order. Without a doubt Kilner Jars have been our best seller; people have been buying jars to store their cereals, toiletries, stationery, you name it, as well as using them for crafts. Lots of people have felt that having a lovely environment will make being stuck at home a little more bearable. We’ve have now paired with some brand new suppliers so we will be stocking some gorgeous new products that we think our customers will love!” Inset: A flavour of Silver Mushroom’s website – the online retailer is expanding its offering.
PROGRESSIVE
18
HOUSEWARES