Nov 2015
Bringing trusted businesses and the community together
TheVoiceOfEpsomandEwell
The People Behind the Businesses Pg.2
Our Achievers Club
Pg.3
Dates for your Diary
Pg.7
Etail Therapy There is a quiet revolution happening on our High Streets. Traditional retailers who have seen a drop in their footfall over the last decade are fighting back by going online. Now, some of you may be thinking that this is the final nail in our High Street’s coffin, but read on and you may well be pleasantly surprised… In 2008 John Lewis added ‘Click and Collect’ to their online shopping experience. They recognised that rather than replacing their traditional bricks and mortar stores, their website was just another way their customers could buy from them. They understood that customers did still want to physically visit their stores, but they also wanted to ensure the product that they wanted to buy was in stock. Interestingly, 38% of people who use Click and Collect make an additional purchase when picking up their order. During the last 7 years, John Lewis hasn’t been closing stores, they’ve been opening them! They’re online offering hasn’t detracted from their bricks and mortar stores, it’s supported them. It’s even been suggested that the online offering has increased footfall not decreased it.
That’s great, but what’s that got to do with my shop? On average, sales through e-commerce have increased by over 10% year on year and now make up 15% of all retail sales. Total online sales are set to hit £60 Billion by the end of 2015 so if you’re not capitalising on that, you are definitely missing out!
Buy Local, Buy Online, Buy Now! Many chain stores have initially struggled with managing their online offerings, having to invest in separate warehousing
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and processing to fulfil their digital sales. Independent retailers however, are perfectly positioned for online sales. ‘Click and Collect’ or ‘Return to Store’ are highly attractive to consumers, with 62% of consumers saying they would buy online if they could return in store. Simple to manage if you have one or two shops carrying the same stock; a logistical nightmare when you have 100s of shops all carrying slightly different stock. Don’t think that online sales only applies to traditional retail either. The gift voucher opens up digital sales to everybody; from restaurants to garages, spas to physiotherapists! Many independent retailers have shied away from going online, and understandably so. Just the investment required to build the website in the first place can stop most budding ‘Etailers’ in their tracks. Then of course, there’s managing the order processing and payments and of course, that all important traffic to the site. The good news is, getting your business online really doesn’t have to be that hard. There are cost effective platforms out there designed to allow independents to have an e-commerce offering without large upfront investments or crippling commissions. thebestof can get you up and running with your very own online shop, advise you on the best way to take the plunge and then support you in your ‘Etailer’ journey with the right local marketing and printed material. All you need to do is have products sell, a desire to grow your business and of course, a membership to thebestof. If you’d like to start selling online but are not sure what to do next, just get in touch. You’ll be surprised just how easy it is!
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The
People Behind the
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The People Behind the Business Garry Milner – Bringing Style Home
Garry has recently updated his store and fleet branding, launched a new website and has become active on social media. Milners was initially started by local brothers Brian & Garry Milner, who were both experienced carpet and wood flooring fitters. From humble beginnings - operating from a mobile showroom in 1991, Brian & Garry opened their first store in Ashtead in 1993. Now 22 years later, Garry, along with his trusted and experienced team, continue to offer an outstanding service to the local and surrounding areas, whilst Brian moved away to the New Forest in 2009.
Milners provides a complete interior design solution for homes and businesses and is open 7 days a week. From soft furnishings to carpets, curtains, to Amtico flooring, the ranges available in store are vast. The family business has proven to be a local success story, surviving ‘the rise of online’ and making it through a five year recession. This year, Garry’s offspring Ben and Alice joined the team and the store has had a complete rebrand, the logo has been brought up to date and the windows are looking livelier than ever! Garry boasts that, “…with the changing needs of the customer, we pride ourselves on offering good old-fashioned customer service with the products of today”. Milners are passionate about their local community and regularly contribute to local fundraisers, raffles and fetes. Garry is an enthusiastic cyclist and in 2013, Milners joined forces with Ashtead’s Bike Beans Cycle Café and thebestofepsomandewell on the Milners forecourt in a special celebration for the Tour of Britain. The three businesses offered a range of activities including: competitions, refreshments and music. Great believers in supporting fellow businesses in the area,
2 | The Voice of Epsom and Ewell - Nov 2015 | thebestof.co.uk/epsomandewell
Milners are also sponsoring a category in the Epsom & Ewell Business Awards this year. Milners are proud sponsors of Leatherhead Football Club , where Garry is a Director and a 20% shareholder. As a busy businessman, Garry enjoys spending his free time with his four children and beloved wife. Of all the places he’s been, Garry says one of his favourite holiday destinations is Sharm el-Sheikh - which promises beautiful sunshine and has plenty for his family to do. Milners Ltd, 40 The Street, Ashtead, Surrey, KT21 2AH Tel: 01372 271871 Email: sales@milners.com
Have you made great progress with thebestof? We’d love to hear about your success and share your story here
of the month
1 Month Free – Serviced Offices in Sutton, Epsom, New Malden City Skyline provide fully serviced offices in the heart of Sutton, Epsom and (coming soon) New Malden – offering total flexibility for your business. Includes Rent, Rates, Service Charge, Furniture, Phone and Internet . SUTTON – newly refurbished St Nicholas Business Centre. EPSOM – Global House. NEW MALDEN – Coombe Road.
They Offer you 1 MONTH FREE on all serviced office agreements signed for 6 months or more until 24th December 2015.
ERS
ACHIEV
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Offer
MONTH OF THE
Tel: 01372 253103 E: William@cityskyline.co.uk
Our Achievers Club Awarding outstanding businesses locally…
Country Clothing Store Country Clothing Store has now been open for just under 3 years, and has recently moved from Walton-on-the-Hill to larger premises in Ewell Village. Saturday 16th May 2015 saw Epsom Mayor, Robert Foote and his lovely lady wife, officially announce the stores opening at the very fitting, 1 Ewell House Parade. With the sunny weather, the shop looked stunning and there were many visitors enjoying the hospitality of the day. The new store incorporates an exciting range of country wear products and gifts – including excellent clothing ideal for all country pursuits. The store also features the amazing millinery of Jessica Rea, designed and made by Jessica Connelly, the Country Clothing Store Manager. Jessica is a fully trained milliner whose designs are proving very popular and she offers everything from a small fascinator to bespoke hats suitable for those special occasions – with samples available in store. Jessica Rea Millinery is a big hit at Epsom Racecourse. Jessica has had several of her hats covered by the BBC news and Channel 4 racing. Both Country Clothing Store and Jessica Rea Millinery offer a high level of customer service. The staff get to know their customers by first name and know their particular styles and interests. If Country Clothing Store don’t have the particular item that a customer is looking for, they will go out of their way to find it. Country Clothing Store works extremely closely with Papillon House in Headley – a school for children with profound autistic spectrum disorders. The country clothing retailer tries to do at least three or four charity events throughout the year - last year they put on three fashion shows! Country Clothing Store, 1 Ewell House Parade, Ewell, KT17 1NP
020 8394 2734 thebestof.co.uk/epsomandewell | The Voice of Epsom and Ewell - Nov 2015 | 3
Working Well Want to shine in our next newsletter? Share your successes and let Nigel and Maggie know what bits of thebestof are working for you!
WeBuiltYourWebsite design Epsom & Ewell Business Excellence Awards Website WeBuiltYourWebsite have done an excellent job in designing a new website for the Epsom & Ewell Business Excellence Awards. The original site was very static and it is now much more graphic-heavy, has social media links and is also responsive! Visit www.webuiltyourwebsite.com
Patrick Kilian rebrands with help from thebestofepsomandewell We have been delighted to work with Patrick Kilian (previously Light in the Black) on a complete rebrand. Now known as Patrick Kilian Evocative Imagery & Frames, the Ashtead businessman is working with thebestofepsomandewell to open an online selling platform for his evocative prints. Visit www.patrickkilian.co.uk
AD Commercial Photography takes brand new images of staff at Skyrah Beauty Skyrah Beauty have recently taken on an apprentice and felt it was the right time to refresh their team photographs. Amanda Duncan of AD Commercial Photography went into the salon to meet the girls and provided them with a new selection of lovely team images for their ‘meet the team’ activity online. Visit www.amandaduncanphotography.co.uk
We are looking for... At thebestof Epsom and Ewell we are on the lookout for other great members. This month we are looking for...
• Vets • Garden Centres • Indian Restaurants If you know a business that fits the bill, please contact the team:
01737 350079 | epsom@thebestof.co.uk 4 | The Voice of Epsom and Ewell - Nov 2015 | thebestof.co.uk/epsomandewell
Eight out of ten cats... Don’t worry, I’m not about to introduce a ‘TV’ section into our newsletter or wax lyrical about cat food. What I am going to do is introduce you to some statistics about the consumer purchasing journey and how it’s changed over the last few years. 92% of Consumers Read Online Reviews I know, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Reviews are key to driving new business and keeping existing customers. The number of consumers reading online reviews about local businesses has shot up! Increasing by 22% in the last five years. It has become part of the consumer buying process, so if you’re not displaying great reviews for all to see, you can guarantee you’re losing potential business.
40% of consumers form an opinion by reading 1-3 reviews (vs. 29% in 2014) Now, before you throw your review cards away, or worse, stop asking for reviews, there is actually a caveat to this statistic. Consumers want to read 1 to 3 reviews, but they want to see many more! They will read the most up to date reviews and then assume all the previous ones will follow a similar pattern. Just the fact the reviews are there gives the consumer
confidence that the company they are researching has consistently and constantly provided a great product/service. Interestingly, the age of the review was key as well, with 44% of consumers feeling that a review should have been written in the last month to be relevant. The BrightLocal Survey said “Online reviews should be sought after and encouraged on a regular basis. We can now see that a best case scenario would involve having up to 10 positive online reviews, all written within the last 2-3 months. Of course, these levels will vary for different types of businesses. Some businesses attract reviews more readily than others – think ‘restaurants’ vs. ‘dry cleaners’ – and the recency factor is more significant. A review that is 9 months old will lose impact for a restaurant whereas consumers searching for an estate agent will happily consider reviews from 9-12 months ago as this type of service doesn’t change so rapidly.”
Almost 48% of consumers, after reading online reviews, will visit the company’s website Oh how behaviours have changed! Gone are the days when people picked up the phone it seems. Only 9% of consumers said their next step was to call a business. In fact, they were almost 3 times more likely to visit the company’s premises than phone. Now obviously, reviews are only part of the consumers’ purchasing journey, but if you have the right product or service, give value for money and have excellent customer service, it would be a dreadful shame to lose that potential customer to the competition because you weren’t displaying enough relevant online reviews. If you’re struggling to get those all important reviews, or would like to know how to start collecting them just give us a call. We’ll be more than happy to help! thebestof.co.uk/epsomandewell | The Voice of Epsom and Ewell - Nov 2015 | 5
Meet The Members We’re consistently uncovering hidden gems. Say a big hello to our local heroes.
Give them a call and say hello!
Kennedys’ IPA Kennedys’ are independent property agents based in Walton-on-the-Hill with excellent local knowledge. Looking for a home in the Walton, Kingswood or Tadworth locality? give them a call – the natural choice.
t: 01737 817718
Aspinall Cars Professional and trusted used car dealers for buying or selling. Quality cars and a unique “Sale or Return – We Sell Your Car” service, ensuring you get the best price.
t: 01372 632432
Silverback Guerilla Productions Creating professional, high quality videos perfect for your website or social media platforms. You can showcase your business, products and services at a very affordable price.
t: 01372 826233
Patrick Kilian Evocative Imagery and Frames Professional photographer Patrick creates statement limited edition images that stand out from the crowd. He also has exquisite fine art prints, together with superb frames to enhance any picture.
t: 01372 826550
The Wilson Clinic The experienced surgeon Mr. Geoffrey Wilson FRCS FRCS(Plast), and his professional team offer cosmetic plastic surgery advice and procedures throughout the Surrey area.
t: 0800 112 3393
The Kitchen Deep Cleaning Co Does your business operate a commercial kitchen? Do you conform to strict hygiene regulations? The Kitchen Deep Cleaning Co – does exactly what it says!
t: 0203 700 3147
Want to be featured on our Meet The Members page? Call us on 01737 350079 and let us know! 6 | The Voice of Epsom and Ewell - Nov 2015 | thebestof.co.uk/epsomandewell
Dates For Your Diary An important date coming up in the calendar! EXPO South East th
11
November
25
th
November
• Showcase Your Business • FREE entry for visitors • Wednesday 11th November from 10:00am • Epsom Downs Racecourse
t: 0191 375 5733
An Evening With thebestofEpsomandEwell • Cocktail & Canapés • Networking Event • Wednesday 25th November • 6:00 to 8:30pm • Last Wednesday of alternate months
t: 01737 350079 .
Community Partners For people who go out of their way for the community. GES Clean teams up with Epsom Foodbank to find staff GES Clean have recently expanded and needed new staff to support their increasing workload. Epsom Foodbank often come into contact with people who’d like a few hours work to help pay their bills and were able to advertise the roles that GES Clean had on offer. The roles were filled very quickly and GES Clean have been really impressed with their new employees!
Cuff & Gough sponsor summer rugby camp Over 200 children recently attended a hugely successful summer camp organised by Sutton & Epsom Rugby Club and sponsored by Cuff & Gough LLP. The camp ran from Monday 17th-Friday 21st August and it had the biggest attendance the club’s ever seen!
Sunnybank Trust give presentation on learning disabilities during Epsom Mental Health Week Epsom Mental Health Week is organised by Love Me Love My Mind and ran from 3rd-11th October. The majority of the events take place at St Barnabas Church in Epsom and Love Me Love My Mind and The Sunnybank Trust have offices at this church. The Sunnybank Trust supported the mental health charity by giving a presentation on how those with learning disabilities can be affected by mental health issues and giving information on the help that is available to them.
TWM Solicitors to sponsor Commitment to the Community category in Epsom Business Awards TWM Solicitors are excited to be sponsoring a category within Epsom & Ewell’s prestigious business awards which will be awarded to a business with focus on community issues. This award recognises companies that are investing in the community in which they operate and those in greatest need, achieving sustainable impact on key social issues in these areas.
thebestof.co.uk/epsomandewell | The Voice of Epsom and Ewell - Nov 2015 | 7
epsomandewell is run by Nigel, Maggie and the team.
At a glance At thebestof we go out of our way to provide our members with all the marketing tools that will help them grow locally. We pride ourselves on being committed and dedicated in working with only thebest local businesses that are recommended by local people. Focussing on 4 key areas, thebestof has a proven track record of ensuring our members get; Local Exposure Connections Marketing support Brand Building We do this through 17 core elements including our reviews facility, our consumer app, our dedicated feature pages for each member and through social media, not forgetting direct email campaigns to our ever growing local database - plus much much more!
Hi, we’re Nigel, Maggie and the team, and we’re here to connect you with all the other brilliant businesses on epsomandewell site.
Everything we do is about bespoke, results driven marketing, ensuring that our members get what they need, at the right time for them and the good news is that we can tailor everything we do, to your local budget. We really do what we say we will do;
Bringing trusted businesses and the community together
We’re passionate about all of our members and we’re here to help, please get in touch!
Call us on 01737 350079 Nigel Stickland Nigel.Stickland@thebestof.co.uk
Did you know... We can offer a full marketing service for your company. As well as positively promoting your business in the local community, we can also manage your on-line presence, social media, and email marketing campaigns. Make sure people in the area know about your business. For more information email Nigel.Stickland@thebestof.co.uk Call 01737 350079 www.thebestof.co.uk/local/epsom-and-ewell /thebestofepsom
@thebestofepsom
Bringing trusted businesses and the community together