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Take 3: Shops Called Mooch

Mooching Around Mooching around is something we all enjoy doing, especially if it involves browsing around a gift shop! PG&H caught up with three Greats 2018 retailers who all have Mooch in their shop name - to discover what gives them the edge on the high street, as well as what’s in the pipeline for the coming year. Winner: Independent Retailer of the Year - Midlands & Wales: mooch gifts & home in Bewdley and Stourport-on-Severn “We love the changing seasons and the buzz we create when we launch our new collections to our loyal ‘moochers’,” enthuses Jon May, who co-owns mooch gifts & home with Luke Jacks. “It makes everything worthwhile. Our stores are a ‘one stop shop’ for any occasion, and we know we have to stand out on both our local high streets - in Bewdley and in Stourport-on-Severn - for having warm, welcoming stores and quality gifts that are beautifully packaged.” Adds Jon: “We take great pride in both the interior and exterior of our stores which

offer old fashioned values served in a modern age. Plus, we go that extra mile to bring products to our stores first. When other retailers follow we move onto something new.” He says that in 2018, there was good growth across fashion jewellery, home fragrance and greeting cards, with Mooch’s own label and bespoke lines growing significantly too, helping to set the two mooch stores apart from their competitors. Explains Jon: “We launched our own candle range 18 months ago, which has built up a good loyal fan base, and have extended these fragrances into reed diffusers, a sector that we will be aiming to widen in 2019. In addition, we work with several small British suppliers to produce a range of bespoke, mugs, coasters, bags, soft toys and cards that are exclusive to us. Additionally, working closely with one of our suppliers, we offer personalisation on a range of pressed metal number plates. Again, we will be looking to extend this in 2019.” Over the past year, he confirms that the average spend has increased, partly due to the new ranges - to

Top: Mooch in Ealing, West London. (See page 69). Above: mooch gifts & home in Bewdley and Stourport-on-Severn (below).

include male grooming collections from Scottish Fine Soaps - but also because of the extension of the Home department on the first and second floors of mooch’s new Stourport store. Additionally, Jon and Luke are very pro-active on social media. “We have a good loyal base of social media “moochers” who engage with our posts very well,” Jon confirms. “The power of social media is huge, and we will continue to work with our suppliers in 2019 to bring competitions and exclusive offers to extend our reach, and to grow our page ‘likes’ to 4K+ on Facebook alone, without paying for additional page sponsorship.” What’s in the pipeline for 2019: “We remain optimistic for 2019, and will be aiming to ramp up our online profile to offer our shopping experience to a wider audience.”

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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