Retail
Justyna shares beauty secrets from Poland
Justyna Slusarczyk has brought an exotic slice of Poland to Birmingham city centre – with her eco- friendly beauty store. Justyna is the brains behind Organique, a cosmetics
venture selling a wide range of beauty products from the Eastern European state, including soaps, oils, creams, shampoos and other materials for body and face care. The store celebrated its first anniversary on 11 July –
and now Justyna is aiming to expand her business with new products, including extra eco-brands for the baby market.
‘Justyna’s Birmingham city centre business is the first Organique operation in the UK’
Justyna, who moved to Wolverhampton with her husband Pawel 10 years ago, decided to branch out on her own after a decade working in a variety of jobs in the West Midlands, from waitressing to stock control and mortgage processing. “We only planned to stay a
few months and then go back to Poland but we have stayed here in England. Then, a few years ago, I decided I wanted to do something more active and creative so I set up my own business. I love the products and I love the idea – beauty is my hobby. “When you start your own business, it is very hard but we
have completed our first year of trading and I feel that we are stable – we have loads of regular customers now. It is hard work but good experience. “The products are natural – they do not contain any chemicals. The most popular ones are cream and face masks and shampoos.” Justyna, 32, a former Wolverhampton University
student, has high hopes for the North Western Arcade-based business with plans for new products and expansion, and is often burning the midnight oil to keep the customers satisfied. “I always take my laptop back home – it is not
just eight hours at work – sometimes I do not finish until 12 at night. We have a website and I work on social media including Facebook and Twitter, and I also need to check on new
products.” Justyna’s Birmingham city centre business is the first Organique operation in the UK, although the Polish-based business also has stores in a variety of locations worldwide, from 50 shops in Poland to stores in Kuwait, Iceland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Russia and elsewhere. “I would like to open another shop in the future and stock more products,” who runs the shop with an assistant, Claudia De Leonardel. She said the business
reflected her own outlook on life. “I try to eat proper,
natural food and live a healthy lifestyle.”
Eco-friendly: Justyna Slusarczyk
Open for business: the new Prezzo restaurant
Prezzo moves into Moseley
Italian-themed casual dining chain Prezzo has opened a new restaurant in Moseley village, Birmingham, in a deal completed by leading real estate company Cushman & Wakefield. It is the chain’s second outlet in
Birmingham’s suburbs, following the opening of a restaurant in Harborne. Prezzo, founded in 2000, has
more than 220 restaurants in the UK, including 13 in London. The company commonly
converts older buildings into restaurants and its new Moseley branch is a former Kwik Fit tyre depot on Alcester Road, the village’s main thoroughfare. Ed Purcell, of Cushman &
Wakefield’s Birmingham-based retail team, said some of Birmingham’ suburbs were becoming an increasingly popular location for leisure chains and restaurant groups. He said: “This deal shows the
continuing improvement of Birmingham’s suburbs and their growing attraction for chains who in the past may have shied away from them.”
It’s all about the customer experience
Michaela Moore, Bullring’s general manager, talks about the importance of creating a fulfilling experience for customers and shares details about the centre’s new retail destination, LINKSTREET. As Bullring celebrates its 13th birthday this month, we reflect on the many changes we’ve seen not just at the centre but within the retail industry as we continue to meet the demands of today’s discerning shoppers. We know that our shoppers want a fulfilling experience when they visit us, and importantly one that is differentiated from the online shopping world. This is why we continue to invest in our dining and leisure offer and why our retailers are also reinvigorating their stores. Last year both River Island and Topshop upsized their units and revealed stunning shop-fits allowing them to stock more ranges and bring their personal shopping concepts to Birmingham shoppers. The facilities we provide are also key in customers’ experience and we remain committed to ensuring that we provide the very best services including car parks, toilets, changing place facility as well as soft seating. We also recently installed free phone charging points, which have proved extremely popular with customers, and welcomed parcel delivery service,
Doddle to the Upper West Mall so shoppers can now collect and post parcels when visiting the centre. An exciting and engaging events mix continues to play an important role in shaping the experience for our customers and over the coming months we’ll be hosting our popular Student Sessions discount event and Your 5, a fashion-focused activity showcasing products from retailers during new season periods.
Retail Therapy
By Michaela Moore General Manager, Bullring, Birmingham
This year, the newly-refurbished LINKSTREET has been a highlight for Bullring, proving to be a game-changer for this part of the centre. Providing the ideal space for new urban fashion retail and lifestyle brands to showcase their products in a dynamic pop-up style environment, we have significantly strengthened the retail mix. Located on the connecting route between Bullring and
Grand Central, LINKSTEET is already anchored by Pretty Green, the clothing brand founded by Liam Gallagher, and has also attracted a great mix local and independent retailers which we will continually look to keep fresh and relevant. Having enjoyed a good start to the summer we now approach Black Friday and the Christmas season in a strong position to offer our customers a compelling, exciting, incredibly well-rounded experience.
September 2016 CHAMBERLINK 51
Sector Focus
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