Q&A
Independent Footwear Retailer of the Month
Cheryl Taylor, Editor, talks to Marc Debieux of Bowhill and Elliott, Norwich Q&A
Name: Marc Debieux Shop(s): Bowhill & Elliott - Norwich
Brands: Bowhill & Elliott, Crockett & Jones, Joseph Cheaney & Sons, Loake, Barker, Trickers. Home town: East London Family: Norwich
How did you get into footwear? Tell us about your background and your current business?
My first job in footwear was working at Clarks on the corner of Regent Street and Conduit Street, opposite Church’s. I would spend my lunch break window shopping and was mesmerised by the magic of Berluti who also had a shop on Conduit Street, this is where I fell in love with footwear. I spent most of my career in London, training at Russell & Bromley in Bond Street, before managing shops with Oliver Sweeney and finally Joseph Cheaney & Sons, before moving to Norwich as head of retail for Bowhill & Elliott. Bowhill & Elliott is a wonderful, unique footwear emporium, stocking both mens and women’s collections. We still manufacture on-site, alongside selling iconic English brands, all under one roof. We have proudly been manufacturing turn and cemented sole slippers since the 1960’s, with the embroidered velvet Albert slipper our signature style. Alongside our slippers we have stocked brands such as Crockett & Jones since the 1940’s, and continue many of the same traditions since we established in 1874. I recently completed a Management Buy Out from Roger Jury who was 5th generation of the Elliott family. Roger is still very much involved with the business as we strive for continuation and honouring the ethics from our past.
Where are your premises located and how many people do you employ? Do you have a high turnover of staff? Tell us about your shop(s), the local area, your customers and their requirements? We are based at 65 London Street - Norwich. The same address our founder Obadiah Bowhill first set foot as a bespoke shoemaker back in 1874. We employ 16 staff in total, 9 in the workshop, 3 in the office and 4 for the retail. We sell to all of East Anglia and have healthy national tourism throughout the summer. We also sell globally via our website, which has seen healthy growth the past three years.
How has Covid-19 impacted your business? Tell us about your experiences, the difficulties you have encountered and how you have managed/are managing/trying to overcome these? The pandemic was a huge shock to the business, but we managed to stay positive and use the lockdowns as an opportunity to re-think our business
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