April/May 2026
housewareslive.net
TAKE A TOWN
Objects of Use, Market Street, Oxford (JOINT WINNING INDEPENDENT)
This store, located opposite Jesus College, is described by the retailer as being a modern-day hardware store, home to a unique selection of everyday household tools, conscientiously sourced from around the globe. I was looking to buy some cutlery. The first set,
Jesse presented, was stainless steel table cutlery from Brescia, Italy, priced at £29 for the four-piece place setting, consisting of dinner fork, dinner knife, dinner spoon and tea spoon. Jesse explained that the cutlery is finished with a
tumbled porcelain stone wash to give a soft, low sheen, smooth to the touch surface intended for the rigours of daily use. The second, Jesse presented, was a French teak-
handled cutlery set, priced at £70. Jesse said the classically modern bistro style
cutlery set consists of a knife, fork, spoon and teaspoon. Jesse finished his presentation by mentioning that
the store does have multiple sets, so if I wanted either, I could increase the number of placings easily.
Sales skills: 5/5
Store presentation: 5/5
Total score: 10/10
Summary: Jesse did a great job; he presented products well. A key element of this visit was that Jesse gave details of the history of the products, which was an attempt to close the sale. The store was well presented.
TK Maxx, Templars Shopping Park, Between Towns Road, Oxford
This TK Maxx store added Homesense on Thursday, April 2023, to create a two-storey superstore. I was looking to buy a knife block set. Inside
the store, I was greeted by a member of staff, as I headed to the first floor, which is where the housewares are located. In the locked cabinet, there were three suitable
knife block sets. As I browsed, I was drawn to the Challenge 25 point-of-sale, which highlighted that it is illegal for the store to see age restricted products to customers under the age of 18. The first product was a stainless steel five-piece
knife block set from KitchenCraft, priced at £24.99. The box indicated that the set comes with a 10-year guarantee. Another product that came with a 10-year
guarantee was a six-piece knife block set from Viners, priced at £19.99. The most premium knife block set came from
Hamilton and was priced at £39.99. The box for this product was the only one of the three that detailed the product; the box contained paring, all purpose, carving, bread and 20cm chef’s knives, with an acacia wood block.
Sales skills: 1/5
Store presentation: 5/5
Total score: 6/10
Summary: Despite a friendly welcome, that was as good as it got. The knives were presented well and store looked great.
Lakeland, Market Square, Witney
This store, which opened on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, is located between The Corn Exchange and a branch of Barnardo’s. I was looking to buy an air fryer. Inside the
store, I located the air fryer display and started to browse the products. Two members of staff were chatting behind the counter and ignored me. There were nine air fryers on display, ranging in
price from £49.99 to £169.99. I liked the look of the Lakeland slimline air
fryer, which was priced at £89.99. According to its price ticket, the slimline air
fryer had an eight-litre cooking capacity and seven pre-set cooking programmes. It also referenced the clear-view cooking window to check on progress, and the air fryer can cook between 80°C and 200°C. The air fryer display looked really good
because, in addition to the products, air fryer liners, priced at £3.99, were also merchandised there.
With no sign of an approach, I left the store.
Sales skills: 0/5
Store presentation: 5/5
Total score: 5/10
Summary:I was unable to assess the sales skills; the store was presented well, and the air fryer display looked very good.
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