Gift Focus - Jul/Aug 2019 (Issue 114)

52 For more information, visit globalluxurybrands.co.uk learn as we go, hoping that you can teach a couple of old dogs new tricks! Which trade shows do you attend? How are these important to the business? We show at Spring Fair and Home & Gift and attend Ambiente and Maison et Objet. For us, shows are still a key place for us to exhibit new products to existing customers and show everything as new to those that don’t know us. We have found that the shows are the best way to meet new customers, and although they are very expensive and very tiring, we will continue to support the ones that support us. What can you tell us about the acquisition of Goviers of Sidmouth? When the chance to acquire Goviers of Sidmouth came up, following owner Alan Morgenroth’s decision to retire from the business, it was something we felt we were destined to pursue. Having worked closely with Alan on Royal Crown Derby for almost 20 years and seeing the other wonderful brands that are a key part of the business, it was an opportunity too good to miss. We very much want to carry on the business in the style that has made Goviers what it is today but will try to inject new ranges where appropriate, as well as developing the online business, and we would welcome discussions with new suppliers. This is a hugely exciting move for Janet and I, and we hope that it will allow Alan to enjoy other business interests safe in the knowledge that we will nurture and continue to develop what he has built up over the past 34 years. Do you have any tips for new traders? Anyone starting out in this electronic age needs to invest in the right systems so they only have to do the job once. You cannot control your stock without having visibility of it. All our tax returns are digital now, so get a system that supports that and learn how to use it to make your life easier. If you are setting up on your own after being in a big organisation with rulebooks, celebrate the fact that you make and break your own rules. Do what is right for that one customer – it is a partnership after all. There is lots of help available, and mainly it is free, so use it. I met some great people and learned a lot from them in the process. I would do my old job very differently knowing what I know now; I would be more patient with some departments and a lot less with others! Customer service is king. You can have the best products, the best marketing and the best financial control, but if that interface with the customer lets you down, all the rest is pointless. We don’t always get it right ourselves, but when we get it wrong, we try to apologise and sort it out quickly. What can we expect for the future of GLB? I am not sure that I can speculate about the future. What I thought I was going to do way back in 2013 is not what we are doing now. At the start of the year, I had no idea that we would be buying Goviers of Sidmouth and taking a leap back into specialist mail order. We are enjoying what we do, and the next chapter looks exciting. Having a great team at RCD was the best experience ever, and now we are building a great team again, and that is hugely satisfying and rewarding. If we work with that calibre of people again, I will be a very lucky man.