TAKE A TOWN
April/May 2026
housewareslive.net
Oxfordshire
For this issue, the Housewares team of mystery shoppers visited, and assessed, eight stores across Oxfordshire
Lögrens Nordic Style, Magdalen Road, Oxford (JOINT WINNING INDEPENDENT)
In the mid-1980s, Elisabeth Humphries’ career brought her to Oxford to polish up her English. With her main career behind her, she felt it was time to finally start a business, linking her Swedish roots to her life in the UK. I was looking for some bowls. Inside the store, Elisabeth greeted me
and asked if I needed any help. I explained what I was looking for and Elisabeth presented the Mon Amie range, and she said that the designer of the bowls was Marianne Westman. Elisabeth explained that Ms Westman, who died in 2017, created some
of the most popular porcelain ranges in Sweden. The 60ml Mon Amie bowls were priced at £25 each, and Elisabeth said
that she had four bowls in stock and she could get more if I needed more. Elisabeth added that the Mon Amie range also includes a tea cup, a
mug and a side plate, which were priced at £28, £24 and £26 respectively. She added that there is a dinner plate available in the Mon Amie range, priced at around £40.
Sales skills: 5/5
Store presentation: 5/5
Total score: 10/10
Summary: It was great to meet Elisabeth and her passion for Marianne Westman and the Mon Amie range was infectious. The store was beautifully presented inside and out, and I’ll definitely head back as a customer in the future.
ProCook, The Westgate, Queen Street, Oxford (WINNING MULTIPLE)
This store is located on the upper ground level of the Westgate Shopping Centre, and is located between other national retailers, Lush and Skechers. I was looking to buy a stand mixer. Inside the store, I located the electricals area and there were three stand mixers on display. The red and black models were priced at £249, while the gun metal model was priced at £199. The price tickets indicated that the stand mixers have six speed settings and pulse function for easy folding, whisking and beating. Nick approached me and asked if I needed any help. He explained that the
mixers feature a six-litre mixing bowl, and he pointed out that the KitchenAid stand mixer only features a five-litre bowl. He said that included with the stand mixers are a splash shield and whisk, beater and dough attachments. He added that the mixer’s attachment hub was compatible with KitchenAid accessories. Nick pointed out that the gun metal mixer was incorrectly priced, but said that he would honour that price if I was interested in that model. He added that the mixers come with a two-year guarantee.
Sales skills: 5/5
Store presentation: 5/5
Total score: 10/10
Summary: Honouring the price, making comparisons with KitchenAid and mentioning the two-year guarantee, were all excellent attempts by Nick to close the sale. The store was well presented, inside and out.
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