comment A Christmas at Hargreaves of Buxton
Martin Coles-Evans talks to Housewares magazine on a typical Christmas day as well as the challenges faced by retailers during the run up to the festive season.
company, so our framework was already well established for us to provide service however the customer wanted, be it click and collect, local free delivery or couriered the length and breadth of the country! Being closed to customers allowed us time to really expand our range products online to match the thousands we have in store. We’re seeing a lot of return custom too which reinforces our family business approach, it’s just our catchment is now international.
T
he festive season for retailers is typically a busy period with Christmas orders to be arranged, customers to
help, and stock levels to maintain but this year proven to be both different and challenging. Despite the doom and gloom, Hargreaves of Buxton have made light out of a dark few months and share their typical Christmas period.
How would you typically spend your Christmas?
Christmas is always family time and being in retail it’s often easy to get swept away with other people’s priorities, so we make it a tradition in our house to switch off and focus on what’s Important; usually starting with a Bloody Mary for breakfast, being together, and making happy memories. We always make time for our extended families, and in recent years have hosted all of my family round our table as my husband is an amazing cook who doesn’t flinch at the prospect of twelve for dinner. This year, after all we’ve been through, it is so important to spend time together where possible at Christmas, so we made the decision to give all our staff Christmas week off to spend with their families, so they can enjoy this period of celebration together wherever that may be, in family bubbles, safely and without the need to miss a moment of the fun! We think more retailers could support their hard working staff accordingly and take the standpoint we have: it’s great to be busy, but let’s remember what this time of year is really about.
What is your typical run up to Christmas plans? Hargreaves is regarded by many locals as a gem in the town, having been in the town since 1865. We are an eclectic mix of homewares, gifts and cookware with a traditional cafe
November/December 2020
on the first floor. Like many retailers we use the Spring Fair as a starting point to really forward plan; taking advantage of seeing the forecasting from our preferred suppliers and bringing these themes together into something we hope translates to our customer’s style and taste. Being independent we have the luxury of choosing the products and brands to create a Christmas story that will sit together in store well.
Has Covid-19 affected the run up to Christmas and how have you dealt with the challenges faced? Covid... of course this years been exceptionally challenging, so whilst yes it’s been a big struggle, it’s not been insurmountable and we’ve pulled together and found silver linings to some very grey clouds! Besides forced closure, we have also faced difficulties in supply of products to sell but we have adapted as best as we can. We have been prepared for Christmas but the second lockdown couldn’t have come at a worse time for all retailers who had to close. Our store has closed during both lockdowns
this year, much to great stress and frustration. The inequality of essential and non-essential retailing was something we raised with our MP, which ended up with us on the BBC News and BBC Radio News during Lockdown 2.0 and in doing so it raised our profile. The highly positive support and comments we’ve received locally and across the UK have really empowered us to bustle on and do what we do best.
Have you had to develop your online presence? We’ve sold online for over eight years more recently when my husband developed our own in house website after using the eBay platform for ease of access initially, until he joined the
What was this years Christmas window inspiration? Our windows are famous, it’s a Hargreaves tradition to always dress to impress, something that Teresa Coles, my mother was passionate about and so am I! We’ve drawn from our product range to create an over-arching theme in recent years, with traditional and cultural concepts leading the design. Last year our windows were decorated by a local artist who brought to life our theme of Swan Lake, this year I was inspired to create our very own Nutcracker, to set the scene and bring together a scheme. Our ideas are reflective of the products we can offer and our amazing range of Gisela Graham Christmas decor certainly amplifies the theme.
Are there any particular seasonal items that are popular or you look forward to stocking? Being a home, gift and cookshop we have the privileged position of carrying a huge range of products from some of the very best companies in the world. Brand leaders who really make our store the “destination shop” for everything from indulgent bodycare, to top of the range cookware and kitchen electricals. It’s the time for treating people you love at Christmas so we’re always mindful of having a range of price points for all pockets, but more than anything it’s making sure that our reputation for always having the best things in Buxton remains true to this day. Le Creuset’s fantastic new Deep Teal range of
stoneware and cast iron has been a tremendous addition to the range and our customers don’t mind splurging on these premier price items, Bloomingville have been a company we’ve had real success with in recent years, their contemporary Scandi-style home decor and furnishings grace many a home in the town now and it’s easy to see why with its cool hygge vibe. Candles and home fragrancing are always huge at Christmas and we love the reaction our customers have had to new brand Freckleface, who create the most divine soy wax melts, and the fabulous Maison Berger fragrancing and gift ranges that scream style.
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