Gift Focus - Mar/Apr 2019 (Issue 112)

to strength. Our Shudehill Home brand is looking very strong with wooden clip frames and a tribal animal design that really makes a splash, but that’s just the tip of a super product range. How many generations have been involved in running the business? Steve Davies is the managing director of Joe Davies and belongs to the fourth generation. What values are important to Joe Davies? Outstanding service, fair competitive prices and attention to the little things that make the big difference. This means treating people as people, always doing the right thing (even if it costs) and always working hard to be better at what we do, every single day. How does the company’s history affect how you operate in the present day? It can weigh heavy on your shoulders, but at the same time, that weight keeps you planted, gives a great sense of where you have come from and helps you make the right decisions for the future. Which trade shows do you attend? Which is your favourite? We attend Spring and Autumn Fair at the NEC, Harrogate Home & Gift in the summer and Harrogate Christmas Show in January. All the shows serve our business and our customers very differently. Having a favourite is hard – we love seeing our customers at any time. We are also passionate about our product wherever we have an opportunity to showcase it. How are you finding the economic climate in the UK? It’s certainly been challenging for many, and we have taken the view, as we always do, to keep focussed on offering our customers what they need: stability of supply, consistent low pricing, great products and no hassle. We try to make it as easy as possible for people to do business with us, little things like no quibble credits, no hoops to jump through, low minimum order value and free carriage. What have been the key milestones of the last century? There are too many to list, but in the late ’70s the company purchased No. 29 Shudehill, Manchester, at the same time goods from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan started to feature in the market, the gift trade increased, and JD did quite well. The business then took on its first non-family manager, Syd Wood, Norman and Joe Davies giftfocus 67 Company Profile