The location has worked really well for us as it’s close to Durham city
centre and two minutes from a popular retail park, it’s easy to find and offers plenty of free parking so we have become exactly what we wanted - a destination shop. Durham is an amazing little university city, home to many families from all
over the world who want the best fitting shoes for their little ones and who love our great quality, colourful brands. The shop has mainly grown through word of mouth and is still growing fast, even after 5.5 years. I started and worked in the shop by myself for a few years, but as the shop
grew and became busier, I started to look for staff. I can’t imagine how I survived the first two BTS’s by myself! We are currently a team of three with the fourth member due to join us
shortly! One of my assistants has been with us for 2.5 years and the other for around 6 months. I love working in the shop so I am still there 6 days a week but after 5.5 years, I need a break!
Do you have an online shop/website and do you use social networking for business? Social media, especially Facebook, has been incredibly helpful to us in raising brand awareness and helping spread the word. Many of our customers use Facebook not just to check out our styles but to interact with us, message us and tell their friends about us. We are currently building a website and are very excited about this. Watch this space!
How are you finding the footwear market currently? We are still growing so it’s fantastic for us – we are constantly getting new customers and our regulars are very loyal so things are good! I think, with the help of the Internet, customers are becoming more educated about footwear and increasingly aware of brands other than your typical high street ones so are searching for alternative, healthier, better fitting and nicer options. We have also found that our honest approach and ethos of the shop – we
never sell anything the customer doesn’t need and never anything that doesn’t fit – are very much recognised and appreciated by our customers and as they trust us more than other shops, they are very loyal to us too.
What’s selling well? Any particular trends? Which are your best selling footwear brands – and why? All of our brands serve their purpose and once you have your buying tweaked, they all sell well but our biggest, most popular ones are Froddo and Ricosta.
How important is shoe fitting to your business? Are you or any of your staff members of the Society Of Shoe Fitters? Shoe fitting is crucial. Wiggle Room was built on fit and service. We are very proud members of the Society of Shoe fitters and I am
personally incredibly grateful to my SSF mentor Maureen and their secretary Laura for all the help, support and advice they had given me, especially when I was just starting out and didn’t know the first thing about fitting or running a business!
Does your shop sell other items besides footwear, bags, gloves, tights, socks, below the ankle products? We have a small range of organic clothing and toiletries and a lovely selection of fair trade wooden toys.
Do you use an EPOS (retail technology) system in your shop? We don’t. We are quite old fashioned and use a standard till.
Any tips on stock offers, novel ideas for clearing lines or advice for independent shoe retailers who might be feeling the pinch? Every once in a while, bite the bullet and do a huge clearance sale – it might break your heart to see those lovely styles leaving below trade price but stock has to be rotated and shelves cleared and you’ll feel much better afterwards – it’s like a good old spring clean!
What is your favourite footwear brand/manufacturer –and why? My favourite brands overall are Froddo and Ricosta. Froddo are a bit of a USP for me as I know the brand very well from the time I lived in Croatia and Ricosta are my fairly new discovery – I have had them in the shop for about 4.5 years and just love their styles, fit and reliable quality!
How do you select your products – which criteria do you use / what are your customers looking for? All of our brands are amazing in both quality and design so I often find it really hard to choose between the styles (and often choose too many!). Our customers want the best fit and focus on that. They want the shoes to look and perform well and take the punishment an
active child puts them through! Most of them buy their primary pairs from us so want comfortable, light shoes. Those who can afford more than one pair will often buy a nice, dressy shoe as well that matches the child’s wardrobe for the season. Petasil are often the popular choice for this purpose.
Which footwear/fashion shows do you attend, how do you rate them? We go to Moda when we can and have always enjoyed it!
Do you have a favourite footwear agent you can tell us about? We have really good relationships with all our agents but always have the longest conversations with Matt Clark and Lee Budworth!
And, the next step? Any plans for the future, new lines, retail systems/new technology, etc.? Yes: I love change, love challenge and love doing new things so we are constantly a work in progress! We will be introducing new brands this season, we are working on the website, training new staff and developing our business in a new direction – watch this space!
Contact: Wiggle Room
wiggle.room@
btinternet.com
Wiggle.Room.Durham 0191 3740775
MAY/JUNE 2019 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • 43
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
