HOTSEAT
Geraldine Howard & Ian Richardson
After spending 30 years building up the successful Aromatherapy Associates brand, Geraldine Howard’s fortuitous meeting with investor Ian Richardson looks set to take the company to new heights. The pair talk to Julie Cramer about the brand’s fi rst retail outlet and how they’ve doubled turnover
Why did you feel the time was right to open your first retail outlet? Geraldine: With Ian’s investment it was really the right time to build and grow the company and I’ve always thought that a retail outlet and fl agship is a good way to get your mes- sage out there. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do but it obviously takes investment to do it.
Were you specifically targeting Knightsbridge? Ian: It inevitably has to be opportunistic because you’re sub- ject to the vagaries of where entry units appear. Certainly Knightsbridge was at the top of our list of where we wanted to be. This unit came up and it was serendipity to a degree.
What criteria were you looking for in potential locations? GH: It’s tough to walk out onto a busy street after a treat- ment so it was important to have an area where people could be picked up or dropped off, and taxis available, etc. But it also had to have a high footfall, so it needed to be a central shopping area.
How did you chose the store’s designer? GH: I chose Martin Hubert because he doesn’t do cookie-
cutter-type establishments. He’ll listen to you and get to the heart of your company and then put that into the design. For us the heart of our business is our bath and shower oils, and they feature heavily in the design – for example our showpiece chandelier is made up from Aromatherapy Associates oil bottles. We wanted to get a quality, but also comfortable and welcoming, feel to the space.
Ian, what is your background? IR: I was a corporate lawyer who qualifi ed in 1983, and between 1989 -2002 was a corporate partner with the law fi rm Eversheds. I left there to start a business with a cli- ent of mine who ran a large nursing home company called Cresta Care. We set up a business together in 2002 and made two or three acquisitions, selling to the venture capi- tal house Cognitus in 2005. I stayed there until 2007 and since then have been an investor in businesses, particularly in the healthcare and wellbeing sectors.
Geraldine, how did you first get into aromatherapy? GH: I started in the 70s when there were literally a hand- ful of people practising it. I’d been studying cosmetic science and beauty therapy and had become a little disillu- sioned with surface make-up. I happened to meet a French
The London store has three downstairs treatment rooms and a relaxation area
20
Read Leisure Management online
leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital
ISSUE 1 2012 © cybertrek 2011
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