Retail Q&A: JBN Member Aleks Jewellers on Reinventing its Shop Front
04 May 2022
At this year’s JET Business Network (JBN) Retail Jewellers’ Congress, due to be held at the NAJ Summit on Monday, June 13, 2022, a panel of JBN members representing a trio of independent jewellers will explain why they’ve made significant investments in bricks and mortar in recent years.
Discover the NAJ Summit 2022
Despite the rise of vacant units, declining footfall increased online competition and the international COVID-19 pandemic, Aleks Jewellers on London Street, Norwich, is one of many businesses that has bolstered its High Street presence with improvement works. Ahead of the Retail Jewellers’ Congress, we asked Adrian Phillips, owner and managing director of Aleks Jewellers what prompted his retail investment and why lockdown had its benefits for completing major renovation works.
When did you decide to overhaul your store presence and what impact did the COVID-19 pandemic have?
Although we decided pre-pandemic to invest in our store presence, the lockdowns were an ideal time to carry out the work required. Although we were unable to predict when lockdowns would occur, our shopfitters were very helpful and flexible with their dates and were quite happy to be onsite during the January to April lockdown in 2021. Having come through the 2020 lockdowns with robust sales we felt reasonably confident that now was as good a time as any to complete the shop fit. Had we not been in lockdown we would have needed to close the shop for four weeks with the subsequent loss of business.
What are the most significant changes to your business on London Street in Norwich?
We have completely changed the appearance of our shop front, the original windows had backdrops blocking the internal view of the shop from pedestrians on the street. We felt that giving people a clear view of the shop would make them feel more confident about coming in. From feedback and information from our shopfitting company, we realised that removing barriers from the windows would be positive for customers looking in and customers inside the shop who would enjoy the bonus of natural light.
What are your thoughts on the future of the British High Street?
We are somewhat concerned about the future of the High Street, especially in the luxury goods sector. Although business bounced back well post-lockdown and remained good until Christmas 2021, many small retail businesses are failing resulting in empty shops and reducing footfall. The current world situation has had a major effect on sales with fuel and energy prices being at an all-time high. People are careful about what they spend their money on, unlike during the pandemic when people had more spending power for one-off purchases.
What would be your advice to other retailers who are thinking of investing in their bricks and mortar presence?
My one piece of advice to anyone considering investing in their store presence would be to find a company with experience in the type of shopfitting you wish to have done. The company we used took all the stress out of the project. They came up with a choice of designs, made videos showing virtual walkthroughs of the different designs, and gave us a choice of materials and colours and a timeline of exactly how long the project would take. Although in the past I have carried out smaller projects in store there is nothing like leaving it to the experts.
Image: Plans for the new shop design
How disruptive was the process of transforming your store and how have customers responded to the changes?
Our shop refurb started over two years ago, but we were able to do it in bite-sized chunks, office and workshop first, rear of the shop, front internal area, then a completely new shop front. The initial works caused no disruption to business, we closed for two weeks for the front internal refurb, the remaining work was carried out during lockdown and so had no effect on business.
The impact on our business after the final stage was immediately apparent. Our customer demographic changed; we were attracting a much younger audience which we hoped would be the outcome when we began planning. Many of our regular customers are now of an age where they have enough jewellery, so we wanted to attract younger couples buying engagement rings, wedding bands and eternity rings. To date, this seems to have worked.
Finally, why is being part of the JET Business Network so important for you and your business?
The JBN is a great networking group, although I have been in the business for many years we have learned much from the JBN. Someone in the group will always have an answer to a difficult question or will know where to turn for help and advice. The meetings and networking opportunities are a great way to get to know others in our industry, plus the monthly reports are an excellent way of keeping an eye on High Street sales trends.
Find out more about joining the JET Business Network
The NAJ Summit will take place from June 10-13, 2022.
Download the NAJ Summit Event Guide
Source: National Association of Jewellers