DICKINSON’S HEXHAM IN-STORE AT In-store at... Dickinson’s Hexham
Dickinson’s has come a long way since it was established in 1878 as a general homeware store in Brampton. The business has been passed down through generations of families and was sold on from the Dickinsons to the Travis
family 14 years ago. Despite remaining a family-run store with strong local connections, the Travisses have helped the store to grow and develop into
the quality retailer and full interior design business it is today with outlets in Hexham, Ainwick and Carlisle.
Perched high on the hill in the historic market town of Hexham, the traditional shop front is fitting of the store’s heritage. Once inside it’s like an Aladdin’s cave, with five floors offering everything a homeowner could ever need when furnishing or renovating an interior space. All tastes are catered for with a seamless fusion of modern and traditional styles working together to offer both traditional and contemporary designs of furniture, flooring and fabrics.
Something for all
Commercial Director, Tace Traviss explains the secret behind the company’s success: “We’ve got different products in each range, with contemporary and fresh products for home starters in an affordable price band, such as Moduleo and on the opposite end of the scale we offer higher end products, for instance Crucial Trading and Amtico. We really do try and cater for everybody.”
Tony Skeen, Flooring Department Manager has been at the company for 31 years. He adds: “Historically we were always quite traditional and a lot of our clients were of the older generation but with the new products coming through, it’s a lot more affordable for the different generations. It’s nice to see the kids who were little when I started here coming in and buying their own goods.”
In fact many members of staff have clocked up almost as much time in the store as Tony and between him and co- worker Stuart Docchar they have over 60 years experience in the flooring department. This is what leads to a winning sales formula in Tony’s view: “Sometimes I hear Stuart talking to a customer and they’re talking about the weather, holidays, anything but carpets then suddenly at the end they make a purchase. The key lies in knowing the product, knowing the clientele, being able to change and not being afraid to try something new.”
Inspiring Interiors
An award winning interior design team is driving the company forward and attracting new clients. “We’ve got about nine
or ten dedicated designers who go to shows in London and know about all of the products that are coming in, what will be hitting our shop floor and what the big trends will be. This helps in keeping us ahead of the game, Tace explains.
“Sometimes a customer will come in for a blind and see what we have on offer in the other departments and then decide that they want help with the whole package. The designer then goes through the options and works it all under one roof.”
Working Together
All of the departments collaborate on the design process and this is another area in which Tony believes Dickinson’s offers a unique value proposition. “A lot of places will concentrate on one product or the other, but we work well as a team made up
Tomorrow’s Retail Floors Winter 2015 | 19
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