6 minute read
Paul Lewis of Austins department store in Newton Abbot, Devon
Gifts Today chats to Paul Lewis, merchandise director of the awardwinning department store Austins in Newton Abbot, which is approaching its centenary of trading
How did you feel when you heard the news that you had won the best department store retailer of gifts category of The Greats Gift Retailer Awards 2022??
I was absolutely overwhelmed by the recognition of all the hard work that our team has put into developing our gift business, which was appreciated by the judges. It’s made us all feel very proud to put Newton Abbot [in Devon] on the map as a shout-out for Austins: the largest independent store in the south-west.
What do you think sets you apart from other gift retailers?
It’s all about the DNA of all of us at Austins: we’re passionate shopkeepers who are customer-centric.
Tell us a bit about Austins.
Founded in 1924, we are approaching our centenary of trading. Managing director David Austin followed his father and grandfather in leading the business, which is still in family ownership. It has developed into the area’s foremost department store group and has sales floors split across four buildings: the Fashion Store; Home Store; Menswear, Toys and Sport Store; and Furniture and Carpet Store.
Austins is a member of the buying group AIS (Associated Independent Stores). Therefore, we can offer our customers a better choice and better value by taking advantage of the vast buying power that AIS brings.
Over many years, we have continued to reinvest in and expand our stores to keep them up to date, modern, relevant, appealing, and desirable shopping destinations.
Most important of all though is our people, who are at the forefront of our commitment to providing exemplary service, which is down to each and every one of us.
What’s your role?
As merchandise director I have the strategic steer on the direction of the business, both in merchandise and store layout. Working closely alongside David, we agree budgets and allow our department managers/buyers to liaise with suppliers in making the detailed selection. We also use the expertise of the AIS buying team for the fashion, menswear, and cook shop categories.
What’s your background?
I started here in August 2018, having previously worked since 2014 as the store manager at another independent department store (Bradbeers in Romsey, Hampshire). When the opportunity for a fresh challenge in such a lovely part of the country presented itself, it was a dream come true.
From leaving school in 1980 I spent 34 years with John Lewis prior to taking voluntary redundancy in 2014. My last role there was operations manager home in John Lewis Reading, so I have a great grounding in department store retailing.
Unfortunately in 2020 I suffered a brain haemorrhage and stroke, and this has had life-changing consequences, meaning I now work part-time. I couldn’t work for a more supportive and understanding boss: David has been kind and accommodating through the most challenging of times - not just for me, but for the business, in terms of navigating the pandemic.
How would you describe your gift range?
It’s developing and growing nicely. In 2018 we began a refurbishment of the ground floor in our main fashion store and created space for a new stationery and gift area which opened in May of that year. We work with Woodmansterne which supplies most of our greeting cards. It has a great range, and working with one key supplier makes it much easier for us.
What are your gift categories?
Mostly personal pick-up gifts, baby and home décor. Christmas seems to come earlier every year but maybe we have short memories! Our selling floors are bulked to encourage easy selfselection with plenty of festive treats in all our main gifting areas, and we have seen a good early response to all the new ranges.
Who are your key gift suppliers?
Jellycats, Wrendale, Transomnia, and Powder UK.
How do you find gift products?
Mostly we attend the AIS Index shows in Solihull, but also - though not as frequently - the NEC shows and local shows such as Westpoint Exeter, and Olympia London for toys.
What’s your selection criteria for gifts?
Tasteful, quality, fashionable and affordable.
What gifts are proving popular?
Our Jellycats offer has grown far beyond our initial expectations and Powder UK is a welcome addition.
What gift lines have you started stocking recently?
Laing giftware.
How is trading generally for you?
Like all high street traders, the past couple of years have been extremely challenging. But recently we are pleased to see fashion sales both in ladies and menswear picking up due to the lifting of restrictions post-pandemic and the return of family celebrations such as weddings and holidays. We have brought in a number of new fashion brands: b.young, Khost, Sonder Studio, Brakeburn, Pomodoro and Emreco were all new this S/S.
How do you maintain the interest of existing customers and attract new ones?
We run a privilege card which has a great take-up with our regular customers, and we email them approximately three times a week with details of new lines, special offers, events and so on. We also promote the store on our trading website and use social media when we think it’s right.
Do you offer gift-related services?
We offer a free gift-wrap service in our fragrance hall, but we are considering a full wrapping service for Christmas which would be chargeable.
Where are you taking your gift offering next?
In the short term, we will continue to tweak the space and review our selection. But, all things considered with the disruption of the past few years, we need a rain check before expanding. That said, our seasonal gift food offer at Christmas has performed strongly over the last two seasons and we see more opportunity there.
What’s next for Austins?
We have pretty much a full line offer covering most assortments. With 60,000sq ft of selling space, we provide authority in our product selection of good, better, best across categories including AIS own brands as well as key high street brands that are exclusive to us in the area.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
Witnessing the delight of customers and colleagues when seeing the rewards and success of sales from our buying, and the efforts that go into making Austins a great shopping experience. It’s a real team effort - and we have a great team.
And the most challenging?
Being an independent retailer, it’s great that we make our own decisions and make things happen without the need of a long signoff process. But being small does sometimes mean we have limited specialist capabilities. This can slow progress, as there are never enough hours in a day!
PHOTOS: Mike Alsford
A sprinkle of stardust
The principal cast members of an upcoming Netflix series have agreed to model for a new Austins campaign promoting the department store’s many stylish fashion labels. Merchandise director Paul Lewis explains: “Immortium is a Netflix series which is currently in production and due to air soon. The models are all actors in this vampire drama, which is aimed at a teen audience. So when I was approached by local photographer Mike Alsford and asked if we would be interested in working with him, I was really keen to maximise the opportunity. I hope the campaign might help us attract younger customers and get that age group to feel comfortable in a department store - and make them appreciate that we are a good place to shop.
“The models are stars in their own right with a high number of followers on social media, so using influencers in this way is a bit of an experiment for us. But marketingwise, these guys are very social media savvy and already have large numbers of followers. I don’t know how effective it will be, nor the longevity of it, but if we don’t try, we will never know!”
