Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - Page number 84 - November/December 2021

84 KEMPS T: +44 (0)1653 693 577 www.kempsgeneralstore.co.uk What are your plans to do develop your online presence? Going into the first lockdown we had no online presence and it was something I just never got around to. In the first week of lockdown we spent a little cash on some tech support and then I did two all-nighters and listed 500 products so we could offer our customers at least part of our stock to help them keep up with birthdays and life events despite COVID. We had planned to move forward with some proper expert digital marketing and e-commerce support to further develop this area but our cash reserves have been depleted with the lockdowns so this has been put on a back burner for the time being. We will always be primarily a bricks and mortar shop offering an interactional and personal shopping experience. The purely transactional online selling is something we recognise as an expected channel for any business, but right now our priority is to focus on the real shopping experience. The customers who come into the shop support our endeavours and are people we can actually have a conversation and share a smile with. Do you undertake any charitable initiatives? If so, what? We have a budget set to respond to requests from local groups and initiatives with prizes and vouchers for raffles and events. We work with local schools to offer book tokens and sponsor competitions for their students. We also offer discounts on larger book orders for school libraries and other groups such as the local Special Care Baby Unit with whom we have been supplying with books for parents to read their newborns whilst in the unit. Now we are able to run events again we nominate a suitable charity to donate profits from ticket prices such as The Books Trust for our Book Club subs and Hospitality Action for our food related events. Last Christmas we ran special shopping sessions for Ryedale Sight Support and customers came with their support worker and shopped with us in a calm closed session where we could talk them through items and offer an opportunity to touch and explore our ranges in a way which would not have been possible during public opening times. We have also run Dementia Friendly shopping sessions in the past too. Do you attend any trade shows and if so, which ones and why? Before we opened, I visited Top Drawer, Harrogate Home & Gift and both Spring and Autumn Fair at the NEC. This was a fact finding mission. Now I always visit Harrogate as it’s so local and I attend Top Drawer Spring at Olympia. As we are constantly striving to be different we find Spring & Autumn fairs too mass market and mainstream for us. I find most of our best new suppliers through internet research and really thinking about what gifting gaps we have and looking to fill them. However, Top Drawer is a beautiful show and it’s always a treat to visit and find inspiration and understand the current and forthcoming trends and styles. Are you looking to open more stores across the UK? We have two shops – Malton and Whitby plus the bookshop. It was always our intention to grow to a small collection of shops in select Yorkshire market towns. COVID has slowed us down in our progress towards this so we will need to see what the next couple of years holds for us and our business. What has been your standout moment since opening the store, and why? 1 st October 2020, when we opened in our new larger premises with our beautiful bookshop too. The decision to move and expand was tough and risky, the amount of work it took to get there both physical and mental was enormous but the customer responses and the validation that people gave us by actually saying COVID had taught them to appreciate local and Indie shops was truly marvelous. To hear people actually saying we don’t want to buy books on Amazon – and that they are so pleased they now have a local bookshop, which makes us proud. How has coronavirus affected your store/ in what ways are you positive about the future of independent retail? COVID-19 stopped us in our tracks. However, alongside all the stress and uncertainty it gave us time and a catalyst to really look at our business and its future potential. We might still not be online if we hadn’t been forced stop the normal trading. There was time to sit down, reflect and plan properly for our move and expansion, which perhaps would have been challenging to find under normal circumstances. Operating mail order, telephone and video ordering and online during lockdown gave us opportunities to serve our customers more personally. We handwrote birthday cards and posted them, we did home delivery, gift wrapping and by talking people through gift options and products on the phone or video, we were able to really add value to the experience and set ourselves apart from the online shopping alternatives. What advice would you give other retailers? Hold your customers at the heart of all you do. If you are a bricks and mortar retailer there are a limited number of ways you can complete with online retailers. Price is rarely one of them so differentiate yourself and find other ways to make your offer of personal service, enjoyable shopping and great choice. It’s what appeals to your customers and keeps them loyal. What are your plans for the future? We want to grow stronger, have more shops and continue to offer more customers the really special experience and value that being a customer at Kemps brings.