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talking shop Buyer’s eye


Lawsons managing director Liz Lawsonreveals what’s hot, what’s not and what’s next for the south-west independent housewares chain


Tell us a bit about Lawsons. We have four stores in South Devon: two in the market towns of Totnes and Tavistock, one in the city centre of Plymouth and one in Ivybridge, which is a dormitory town on the edge of Dartmoor. We are the general store for our towns, selling a wide variety of product - not only kitchenware but also linen, DIY, hardware, tools, garden and pet supplies and school uniforms.


When did you start your buying role? I started as manager of the Tavistock branch in 1994 and then succeeded my father John as managing director in 1998. I was involved in buying from the start. I came from catering, which is very


What’s your background? I trained in hotel and catering management and worked in the sector for 10 years before joining Lawsons. My last job was as a manager for [American restaurant chain] Pizza Hut in the West End of London. We were a centre of excellence for training managers, so I brought a strong ethos of training and customer service to Lawsons.


customer-focused but no products. I remember feeling completely overwhelmed by the vast variety of stock, the number of brands and suppliers, and not being able to differentiate between the two! Now, when I take a colleague to a buying show for the first time, I like to take time to explain how it all works.


Describe your housewares range. We are middle to top end. For example, our knife range starts with Kitchen Devil (the parer is our top selling knife in units), Stellar Sabatier, Robert Welch, I.O. Shen and Global.


Monday February 4 2019 THE NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM, BIRMINGHAM


Lawsons began trading in the centre of the south Devon city of Plymouth in 1904, and now operates at 13 Cornwall Street


What are your best sellers? China and mugs have been in real growth this year. Royal Doulton Pacific, Royal Worcester, Portmeirion Sophie Conran and Botanic Garden have all been good. We separate out mugs, and sales of these


have been phenomenal, especially high-end gift mugs such as Dunoon, Le Creuset and Wrendale. Le Creuset has been strong (especially


stoneware and casseroles last winter), as have frypans (particularly those with ceramic or stone coatings), and travel/coffee mugs with a strong eco story such as Ecoffee reusable coffee cups made with natural bamboo fibre and Stojo collapsible coffee cups made from recyclable materials. Also popular are disposable palm leaf plates


and bowls and beechwood cutlery (from Fallen Fruits), to replace plastic alternatives.


In 1992, Lawsons acquired its third store in the market town of Tavistock in west Devon. The building in which the shop is situated was originally the town corn mill and to this day, still has a leat (millstream) running beneath it.


32 | housewareslive.net • HousewaresLive.net


What’s hot? We find customers really care about their environment as well as the wider world, so sales relating to recycling or eco-friendly products such as Ecover and Method cleaning products have been strong; customers feel they are doing their bit.


twitter.com/Housewaresnews July/August 2018


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