Gift Focus - Nov/Dec 2017 (Issue 104)

nine years as the UK Manufacturing Director for Photobox/Moonpig. I guess my experience at Moonpig gave me a lot of insight into retail and gifting albeit it being in the e-commerce domain. Do you have a lot of competition from other gift shops? How do you stand out? There are a few gift shops in Guernsey but given the size and uniqueness of the island I’m always encouraged to see other independent retailers in operation as it’s not the easiest of markets to trade in. In some way I think that we all rely on each other continuing to trade. The Guernsey Shop has been around a long time and we have loyal customers who visit the island regularly, they return to us time and again. They’re always keen to see new things but on the flip side we’re often asked for items we used to stock years and years ago – e.g. Guernsey traditional hand-made socks. Describe your product offering. Our clothing sells throughout the year, it’s not solely targeted at visitors so many locals frequent the shop. We’re constantly engaging with local artists and trying to innovate the product line. Naturally we are busiest in the summer but we do have another peak during the festive season as there are more visitors on the island (often visiting family and friends) and many locals buy gifts to post to family and friends living far away. Which suppliers do you use? A range of suppliers – Guernsey Woollens, Lazy Jacks, CGB, Inkiton, Club de Mer and many smaller suppliers. How do you entice locals and tourists? My experience is that the majority of Guernsey people love their island, it’s not unusual for them to buy a trinket or clothing that features an image or saying about Guernsey. We also try to do some ranges that will appeal to the locals mainly, for example we have a T-shirt that has an old Guernsey patois saying Cor Damme La, Eh (Would You Believe It!) with an image of a donkey – we’re actually known as donkeys in Guernsey, most will say because of how hardworking we are but many will say it’s because we can be as stubborn as a donkey. We do engage in social media but haven’t yet ramped it up to the level we’d like. We’ve also been given exposure by our local airline Aurigny and the local tourist board. What’s your current best-seller? In the summer season, it’s fridge magnets and keyrings, I don’t think we’re any different from most holiday destinations in that respect. Our relaxed Guernsey branded clothing is always popular. Christmas decorations were a surprise – we brought in a range of wooden Christmas decorations and engraved them to make them personal to Guernsey and the tourists loved them. I guess they could be reminded of their travels to various destinations when decorating their trees at the end of the year. What’s your USP? There’s no surprise that I would incorporate my print experience into the shop. I recently started a new business – Inkiton – which is based in Guernsey and specialises in printed and engraved apparel, home goods and gifts. This has allowed us to stock the shop with original designs and manage stock levels daily without having to order large amounts of stock in the hope we have the right colours and sizes for all. We’re also producing for third party clients both those on, and off, the island with our USP being gift personalisation and low order limits. Do you do much on social network sites, and if so how do you use them? I must admit that this is an area that needs a lot of work for The Guernsey Shop. I’ve only recently had a new website built which should be live soon. Given my background I’m rather embarrassed that this hasn’t been a priority but I’m pleased to say that I’ll be focusing on this in the next couple of months as I firmly believe social network sites are a must for retailers. Competitions will feature – so watch this space. Which trade shows do you regularly attend and why? The Autumn and Spring Fairs are a must but I also attend print/design tradeshows. I’m always on the lookout for new technology that can help decorate products for our shop. How do you choose what to stock with so much choice out there? It’s not easy as there’s so much out there to tempt me. I installed a POS system a year ago that records lots of detail about types of products, colours, sizes (as much as I have time to input or read), so I try to be as analytical about it as possible and use that information to choose items. I still have my moments when I fall in love with products that I’d buy personally and take a chance and put them in the shop, sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised by the reception they receive. I’m also influenced by products that I can add my own touch to, it’s always a contender if it can be printed on or engraved. How often do you change your window dressings and shop displays? We make a change to the window every day, we rarely do one full cleanout and restock of the window. It’s a steady swop in and out items as we find this attracts the eye of the regular passerby. The Guernsey Shop North Esplanade, Guernsey, Channel Islands. T: +44 (0)7781 132 122 W: coming soon! giftfocus 57 retailer interview