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How long have you been established?
Mike - Little Treasures had been established for just over 3 years as a small independent baby shop with a 1000 sq ft showroom. In December last year we moved to a 5000 sq ft showroom on two floors. We are now the largest independent baby store in Wales, with the largest pushchair display of any. Jayne and I both have children. Jayne brings a mother's perspective to the store, while I bring a father's perspective. I also used to work in the industry for a large supplier of wheeled goods and nursery products as a regional sales manager, prior to opening the baby centre with Jayne.
Why did you set up Little Treasures?
Jayne - There was a huge gap in the market in Wales: there are very few Mothercares and only small independent baby shops. Since opening we have had a huge demand for our products and services, doubling almost every month since moving. We have taken a large market share from the multiples in Wales because of the range of products available here and the quality of service provided. We have had customers travelling from over 200 miles to visit and purchase in our store, where feeding facilities, seating and refreshments are also available.
What products do you stock?
Mike - We sell everything from birthing pools right up to full furniture packages, which we also have on display. We stock iCandy, Quinny, Maxi Cosi, Bebecar, Graco, Concord, Maclaren, Jane, Inglesina, Leebruss, Baby Jogger, Dorel, Boori, East Coast, Kids Line, Lascal, Firstwheels and many more.
How has the industry changed in the last 10 years?
Jayne - In Wales there has definitely been an increase in people coming back to the store to shop, rather than use the Internet. Also, more and more of our customers are increasingly concerned about buying nursery products online due to recent bad press and fear of not receiving goods. They also like the more personal approach offered here.
Describe your customer base and how you compete with the multiples.
Mike - Our customer base is very loyal and travels a great distance to visit us. We compete very easily with the multiples on price and get great customer reviews, with a lot of our business coming from word of mouth. We also offer different incentives in store to keep one step ahead of the multiples.
How long does a customer typically spend in store?
Jayne - Our customers typically spend two to three hours in store - we the take the time to go through a customer's check list, informing them of all the choices available together with prices. We build good relationships with our customers, often on a first name basis, which brings us a lot of referrals and repeat business.
What about after care, what is your returns policy?
Mike - We have a very strong after care service on all products. We sometimes find long delays in returning and repairing pushchairs from certain manufactures, so we hold several ranges we can supply the customer with to use while this is happening.
We also have people regularly coming in that have purchased car seats from us in the past and on having changed cars or moved the seat around, want to check that it is fitted correctly and safely.
If a customer changes their mind about a product within two weeks, we will refund in full. We will also take the product back if there is a manufacture fault and return it to the customer once repaired, offering a replacement in the meantime. If the fault occurs after the warranty has expired, we will still endeavour to do what we can with the manufacturer.
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