Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - Page number 104 - September/October 2021

104 CILLA & CAMILLA +44 (0)1308 863 189 www.cillaandcamilla.co.uk glass , Thought Fashion , CKS , Hampton Frames , Gisela Graham and Grand Illusions. How often do you change window dressings and displays? Typically every two or three weeks – sometimes more often. We are lucky to have particularly gifted staff in each of our shops who are very adept at in-store and window display. Do you undertake any charitable initiatives? We have an ongoing commitment to a wonderful children’s charity based in Beaminster. On an ad hoc basis, like many businesses, we support a whole host of smaller, local groups through the donation of gifts, raffle prizes etc. Do you attend any trade shows and why? We attend Top Drawer, Harrogate Home and Gift, and Progressive Greetings. In each case we attend to find new suppliers, and sometimes to berate existing suppliers for their shortcomings – slow supply and key lines out of stock. We find these shows best suited to our needs – more so than Spring and Autumn Fairs at NEC. Are you looking to open more stores? If the right opportunity came up in West Dorset, then yes. But, we are largely happy with the scale and profitability of our existing business. What has been your standout moment? There are stand out moments each day, and there are moments of total despair each day. Such is the nature of independent retailing and of owning one’s own business. How has coronavirus affected you? Clearly we would have preferred to trade unaffected through the last eighteen months. That said, COVID-19 has largely been very positive for us. The furlough scheme – we topped-up all staff salaries to 100 per cent on top of the furlough scheme 80 per cent - and the various grants made available to non-essential retail largely covered our costs and enabled cashflow to be maintained. We own the freehold of our Beaminster premises, elsewhere our landlords were generally helpful and accommodating. Since re-opening our cookshops are exceeding all expectations as those who ‘found’ cooking and baking during lockdown continue to invest in equipment. Also, there is a general tendency to shop locally; customers who might previously have taken day trips to Bath, Bristol or Exeter are less inclined to do so. Finally, the emphasis on staycations means we are seeing a greater than usual number of visitors. The West Country is pretty full! What are your plans for the future ? We plan to keep doing more of the same until, some point in the future, we look to sell the business and retire disgracefully.