Selling a product AND an experience...

Independents should be selling a product AND an experience if they want to survive.

That's the message from Justin Rhodes and, let's be honest, he should know. As the owner of Elliot Rhodes, two fantastic concept stores where customers get to make up their own belts from hundreds of possible options, he has built a successful business that has continued to grow since its launch in 2004.

So, at a time when so many independents are struggling to survive, what's his secret?

Well, a belt from one of his stores may cost a bit more than one from your average high street retailer but, with a huge range of high quality leather straps and individual buckles to choose from, customers at Elliot Rhodes don''t just go in and buy a belt, they become part of the creative process.

"We want people to become collectors. A belt may be a necessity but it can also be personalised and really make you stand out from the crowd" said Justin.

"Customers can come into one of our stores and they might spend anything from 20 minutes to 2 hours with us, choosing the right components for their perfect belt."

It seems that the kind of retail experience on offer at Elliot Rhodes is one that many retailers should take note of. An old school approach to customer service, one where the assistant gets to know the customer, takes the time to understand their needs and cares about making sure they go away with the right product, is helping to guarantee that customers come back again and again. But can independent really continue to compete with the endless high street promotions?

"This year has been hard for everybody including us but we're fortunate that we're a specialist. Belts might be seen as a necessity but we do that necessity better than anyone else and we're managing to keep our heads above water."

Asked why he thinks that is Justin said, "I think we're starting to see the beginning of an anti brand generation with people shying away from the mass produced labels and wanting something a bit more individual to them."

"Many of the high street store are selling generic items in a sterile environment which can be quite alienating for consumers. By providing the opportunity for our customers to really interact with the product and create something that is truly unique to them we don't have to compete with the high street."

Talking to Justin reminds me why independents are so valuable to our retail sector. They are people with a real passion for what they do and have a real desire to share that passion with their customers. They provide a breath of fresh air in what can otherwise be a stale shopping day.

There is no need to compete with the big high street names because independents are in a different market. Those big brands may have their place but when you can be part of creating a product that is unique to you, in an environment where your needs are truly the top priority - why would you go anywhere else?

What is more important to your customers?

According to a story on Drapers Online, information from the Local Data Company indicates that 1 in 10 retailers closed their doors between January and September this year, with fashion and footwear stores among the worst hit.

So why are they having to close? Some think it might be due to rising rates and limited access to credit during the economic downturn. Others suggest it may be that consumers are being more careful with their money or that independents simply can't compete with the high street promotions.

Either way it would appear that sales levels are not high enough to enable independent retailers to continue to trade and that got us thinking - what motivates today's consumer and why should they visit the boutiques rather than shopping online or in the big high street stores?

So, we've decided to set up a poll to find out. First up, what do you think motivates consumers more - price, quality, brand or location of the store?

To take part just answer the question on the right hand side of this page and we'll see what the results show next week - thanks for taking part!

Introducing Agent Jane...

As the launch of the new George Stuart collection gets nearer we've started to think about how we can make it as easy as possible for you to get your hands on the new designs.

For those of you who like the ease and convenience of ordering your stock online, our trade site is already up and running at http://www.georgestuart.co.uk/ and will feature the new designs as soon as they are released.

However, we know that some of you like to do things differently. You like to meet face to face, to be able to see and feel the belts so you know just what you're getting and we hope the new addition to the George Stuart team will be able to help you do just that.

Jane Murphy will be acting as an agent for George Stuart throughout the UK (with the exception of London, the South East and South West) and will be available to visit independent retailers throughout her areas to help them decide which of our fantastic new range they would like to stock.

Once a decision has been made the belts can then be ordered through Jane herself or through the website - it's completely up to the retailer.

We'll be releasing contact details for Jane and the rest of the team when the new collection is released so make sure you check back soon!

Things are quiet at Lineapelle

It seems the recession is hitting everybody, including the organisers of Lineapelle, as the show had an uncharacteristically quiet first day. The 1135 exhibitors must have been relieved when things started to pick up the following day when other designers and stylists from around the world started to arrive.

As always there were some fantastic stands providing inspirational ideas and innovative exhibits but it seemed many people were playing it safe as they try to ride out the storm but it was still a valuable event providing the opportunity to talk to the tanneries and get our hands on some of the sample leathers we could use in our new collections.

The benefits of attending these type of shows goes far beyond the event itself. It allows us to develop existing relationships and build news ones with the people who share our passion for quality and innovation. It opens our eyes to new techniques and ideas that we could use in our own business and gives us the opportunity to publicise the brilliant work that goes on back in Walsall.

So now we're taking the time to digest all that we saw in Italy and see how it can help us to continue producing the high quality leather belts that we can be proud of.

Did you go to Lineapelle? What did you think the show this year?

Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Good business sense or disastrous gimmick?

Last week saw Sarah Coggles, a designer independent, grab headlines in Drapers for launching a 30% off promotion in Grazia magazine.

It seems that by including brands such as Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood Anglomania and Nicole Farhi in the promotion for it's website Coggles.com, this particular independent retailer has made its market rivals very angry indeed but have they really done anything wrong?

In the article on Drapers.com owner Mark Bage defends his decision saying that they do not generally use promotion but that on this occasion the offer to be on the front page of the weekly glossy was too good to turn down.

But some of his competitors have other ideas claiming that the offer would directly affect the demand for new ranges and hit their bottom lines as customers started to bargain for similar discounts across the board.

So, is using a promotion such as this a positive way of attracting new business and building sales or a damaging tactic that decreases the value of premium brands?

Let us know what you think.

See the full article and subsequent discussion at Drapers.com here

New collection coming soon...

George Stuart's online trade site for independent retailers will soon be home to a whole new range of belts.

Our designers have been working hard to produce a fantastic new selection of designs based on our core principle of high quality, both in terms of the materials we use and the way they are combined to make the final product. We're incredibly proud of the belts we've produced and can't wait to show them to you.

We're aiming for the new range to be live on the website in the next few weeks and if you want to be among the first to see them make sure you have registered with us at www.georgestuart.co.uk

In the meantime, keep your eye on this blog for more information about our products, more news from our team and more interesting stories from the independent sector.

Watch out Italy, here we come!

Three of George Stuart's finest are making the trip to Bologna in Italy to attend one of the leather industry's premier events this week.

Andrew, Russ and Sam have all gone to Lineapelle to mingle with some of the 1300 exhibitors and 20,000 visitors due to attend the event which is dedicated to all things leather.

The show, which has been going since 1981, has become an essential date for leather businesses from all over the world. The organisers constantly strive to lead the way in style and quality information making it a key event for buyers of top of the range products including leather accessories, components and models for footwear, leather goods, garments and furniture.

For George Stuart it provides an opportunity to see what's new in the market, check out new materials and ideas as well as meeting with customers and suppliers. Most importantly, with all our leather being sourced from Europe (mainly Italy), the show allows us to get face to face with the tanneries to ensure that we are getting the best not only in the quality and design of the products but also in terms of environmental and social standards that we can then pass on to our customers.

If you would like to know more about Lineapelle you can follow this link to their site - www.lineapelle-fair.it

Or, you can read a full report on this blog next week.