Decorator Profile The expert in Ts Expertees’ very popular show room
Two years in to her takeover of Huntingdon-based Expertees, Debra Stuart, is making waves and has big plans in store for the future. P&P editor Melanie Attlesey speaks to her and her team to find out more.
invest in. After spending years in the fast lane working as a CEO for large organisations, she was keen to try her hand at something new. At the time Debraʼs sister-in-law Tracy Collins and her husband David were looking at selling the garment decoration side of their business Sign Works & Expertees. Debra grasped this opportunity with both hands as she could
T
owards the end of 2015 Debra was looking for a new career path and a small business to
see the potential to grow the business beyond its current capabilities One of her first steps was to move the business away from its base in Hardwick, Cambridgeshire, and focus solely on printing and embroidering workwear. She moved the business to Huntingdon and opened a show room on a busy high street location so that the public could come in and try on products at their leisure.
Before getting stuck in, Debra carried out a lot of research on the sector and
discovered that within the garment decoration industry there are a number of big players, but the bottom end of the market is quite fragmented. So Debra set about transforming the bottom end of the market, by focusing on selling to the local tradesmen in the area. “We do not do any sales online. People want that face to face contact. They want to feel a polo shirt, they want to try it on. They want to look at colour swatches. We decided to focus on selling to your typical plumber or decorator that may only place an order once or twice a year, but values that personal service,” explains Debra.
Constant footfall The footfall in Experteesʼ showroom is constant, to the extent where the business has had to open on a Saturday to cater for tradesmen who work five days a week. And itʼs this face-to-face service that customers are really appreciating, as Rebecca Douglas, Experteesʼ marketing consultant, explains: “A few weeks ago a guy came in and he had some new apprentices with him and they all spent time trying on clothes and comparing the different look and feel of our garments to ensure they chose the right products. You canʼt do that if youʼre ordering your personalised workwear online. We keep all of our best sellers in the showroom for people to try on, along with a basic, middle and top end option.”
Expertees’ SWF embroidery machines | 102 | January 2019
Over the last two years, Debra has invested in software that automates the whole ordering and production process,
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112
