COMPANY PROFILE Cherry Blossom
Tell us about your company history. What’s the story behind the brand? CHERRY BLOSSOM SHOE POLISH became a household name soon after it was introduced to the British public in 1905 with its iconic “one penny tin” with its original “butterfly” twist opener. It became a dominant brand in its sector throughout the twentieth century and was then purchased by the global giant, the Sara Lee Corporation. The brand lacked direction for some time within this massive corporation and in the early 1990’s it was purchased from Sara Lee by Martyn Rose, the owner of Grangers International – the manufacturers of water-based cleaning, conditioning and waterproofing products for outdoor textiles, footwear and equipment. An experienced team was recruited to breathe new life into the Cherry Blossom brand and it has been revitalised to such an extent that it is now again a major force in the marketplace, recently launching its comprehensive Cherry Premium range. This new range, based on quality base ingredients and formulations designed to achieve maximum performance, has been very well received by both the trade and the general public and Cherry Blossom has experienced double digit sales growth in all of the last three years. The brand has a strong British heritage and is now the only shoe care brand that is manufactured here in the UK.
Do you have a brand philosophy? The brand philosophy is simple and direct – namely to offer the customer a wide range of shoe care products using high spec base products and high tech formulations at attractive retail prices. We will not sacrifice quality of performance for price. With a manufacturing plant in the heart of the country it means that our customers can benefit from ordering products when they need them, without having to order vast quantities, taking advantage of prompt delivery times and improving their stock control and cash flow
What sets your below the ankle products apart from the rest? Tell us about the technology? In recent years we have extended our product offering to include an attractive and practical range of “below the ankle” products which are as much about “foot care” as “shoe care”. Again these have been very well received. We use the best quality of raw materials and will not sacrifice quality of performance for price
Where are you based and where do you manufacture? Cherry Blossom has both its administrative and manufacturing HQ in Alfreton, Derbyshire and we have had a major refurbishment of these premises over the last year.
How many people do you have working for you? Do you have a high turnover of staff? There are 60 employees, many of whom have been with the company since it relocated there over twenty years ago.
18 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • JUNE/JULY 2011
How do you market your ranges? The Sales & Marketing team is led by the experienced Dave Watkins whose successful track record with brands such as Arena, Asics, and New Balance is now being replicated at Cherry Blossom. The sales team is supported by a comprehensive marketing communications strategy which has in place a targeted trade and consumer PR campaign, advertising, exhibitions, POS material, merchandising units and training programmes for its retail customers. It recently commissioned The Cherry Blossom Great British Shoe Care Survey from independent pollsters “onepoll” – the results of which confirmed the popularity of the brand and also provided a vast store of newsworthy material which has been published both in the trade and the consumer press.
Any famous customers? Cherry Blossom does not pursue a policy of celebrity endorsement but from our independent survey results we can deduce that one in every ten households in the UK has and uses Cherry Blossom products – so we are confident that these are bound to include a number of celebrities.
And, the next step? Any plans for the future, new lines, technologies etc? Cherry Blossom is looking for further sales growth in the coming months with the launch, at the MODA Exhibition, NEC in August 14, 15, 16 of a comprehensive range of insoles, boot shapers, shoe trees, horns and brushes – all under the Cherry Blossom Premium brand.
How do we contact you? Email:
davew@grangers.co.uk Tel: 01773 521 521 Website:
www.cherryblossom.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160