The Green Sheep Group

Family focussed

Independent retailer Jolly Tots have been in business for over 30 years. Nursery Today had the pleasure to speak with Lorretta Owen to find out more.

Can you tell us a little about the story behind Jolly Tots?

My mum and dad were both made redundant within six months of each other. With two small children money was very tight. My mum started buying bags of used children’s clothes from newspapers adverts. She then spent time cleaning, ironing and selling them. She had been a young mum herself and saw first-hand how expensive new clothes were and how little they were worn before being outgrown.

This proved very successful through word and mouth. They had received a small amount of redundancy and made the decision to rent a small shop using these funds. For them it was a HUGE gamble. They named the shop “Jolly Tots” and it went from strength to strength. Gradually they made the decision to sell nursery products rather than baby clothes. The original store is located just two miles away from the current store.

Tell us a little about the floorspace you operate within – how do you manage this?

The store in Yardely Birmingham is spread across three shops. We began with the first shop and have gradually spread into the other two. The store is approximately 5000sqm.

What was the driving decision behind opening the store in Yardley?

The main reason we decided to open the Yardley store was the close proximity to the original shop and back then advertising was very expensive, so the majority of gaining customers and awareness for the new shop was done via word and mouth. We didn’t want to move too far away from our existing customers. The Yardley store is located on a busy road with great bus routes ensuring we are easy to visit.

What has been the biggest challenge to the business?

Since opening in 1989 the biggest challenge has been to stay competitive against the bigger companies. We have always prided ourselves on providing something for everyone’s budget. Offering exceptional personal customer service. We are proudly independent.

Having been established for more than 30 years, you must have seen many changes to nursery products – which category do you feel has experienced the greatest level of innovation?

Car seats have received a great level of innovation. We remember car seats many years ago that could be fixed using a lap belt only and made from polystyrene. Now we have rotating car seats, seats from birth-12 years, isofix fitting and of course car seats with wheels in the form of the amazing Doona.

2021 has definitely been a challenging year for many in the industry – what type of challenges did you experience and how did you overcome these?

2021 and 2020 were enormously challenging. We had to change the way in which we operated. During lockdown staff were reduced from seven to five. We operated a click and collect and courier service. The majority of our sales are done instore and Since opening in 1989 the biggest challenge has been to stay competitive against the bigger companies. We have always prided ourselves on providing something for everyone’s budget. Offering exceptional personal customer service. We are proudly independent.

obviously this dropped considerably. We helped overcome this by offering video appointments, going live on Facebook and pushing our facebook marketing.

How do you keep abreast of new product launches?

We are constantly looking out for new products. We read Nursery Today magazine to look out for new brands and innovations. We take note of customer requests and the sort of things they are looking for. We follow new and established brands across the socials. We often do research on our Facebook page by the way of polls etc.

You stock many leading brands in-store, is there a brand that is currently performing well for you?

Joie does amazingly well for us. We feel that the brand offers exceptional quality at an affordable price. The Joie 360 car seat is easily our most popular car seat. With many customers enquiring about one before their baby has even been born. The effortless spin function is a must for most perspective parents.

We find once parents have purchased a Joie product it’s usually the brand that they want to stick with. They are impressed with the quality and the fact it’s backed with a full two year warranty. Joie is definitely a brand that consistently performs well for us.

Venicci is always popular in our store. The customer is always impressed with their sleek styling and gorgeous fabrics. We have a brilliant relationship with Vennici and find their customer service exemplary. They really do help to support the retailer.

Lorretta with the friendly Jolly Tots Team

How important is your website to the business?

We are currently in the process of enabling our website to allow customers to purchase straight from the website. Watch this space!!!

Is social media pivotal to you and how successful is this? Lastly, do you have any exciting plans on the horizon you would like to share with Nursery Today readers?

Social media has been a HUGE success for Jolly Tots. We have over 80,000 followers on Facebook. This number is constantly growing. We ship all across the UK. We run regular competitions, go live from the store and share videos.

We are also on Instagram and we have recently launched a TickTock page which has been enormous fun. We get a lot of ideas from the younger members of staff and feel that every day we learn something new.

Lastly, do you have any exciting plans on the horizon you would like to share with Nursery Today readers?

We have BIG plans for Jolly Tots. Since re-joining the family busines nearly two years ago I have lots of ideas. My Mum and Dad are very much still involved. They offer an enormous amount of support and wisdom. We are a team. My nephew is also part of the team along with six other amazing staff. We couldn’t do it without them. Two of them have been with us over 15 years.

Jolly Tots has always been a family business and this is how we want it to continue. All I can say is watch this space.... We will continue to offer something for everyone’s budget.

Stars of 2021

As we look forward to next year and all that it brings, we wanted to celebrate some of the Dorel Juvenile products that helped make this year a success, from innovations in car seat technologies with Maxi-Cosi® , to elegant developmental toys with Tiny Love.

Our 360 Family is the next generation rotating car seat system, providing total convenience and designed to grow with families’ needs from birth up to four years. Thanks to the innovative FlexiSpin rotation on the FamilyFix 360 base, the compatible Pebble 360, Pearl 360 and Coral 360 can be easily rotated using only one hand. With ClimaFlow temperature regulating technology, G-CELL superior side impact protection and an easy-in magnetic harness, the 360 Family makes each car journey that much easier.

Our latest update to the best-selling Mica is made using recycled fabrics for a more sustainable choice. Featuring the same innovative technologies as our 360 Family, Mica Pro Eco is a safe, comfortable and environmental option. For more details see our feature in the last issue of Nursery Today or on our website.

• FamilyFix 360 RRP £199. • Pebble 360 Available in Essential Black, Essential Graphite,

Essential Grey and Essential Green, RRP £199 • Coral 360 Available in Essential Black, Essential Graphite and

Neo Green, RRP £239 • Pearl 360 Available now in Authentic Black, Authentic Graphite,

Authentic Grey, Authentic Cognac, Authentic Red, RRP £279

Mica Pro Eco

Available in Authentic Black and Authentic Grey, RRP £319.99

Made to evolve with you

Moa

Moa is a stylish and functional piece of furniture that o ers 8 di erent configurations designed to perfectly suit children’s needs over their first 5 years, to provide a comfortable seat from which to eat, learn and grow.

Cassia

Cassia is a stylish, soothing swing, that’s suitable from birth to 9kg. Featuring smart motion sensors, nature sounds and melodies, it’s been designed to help reassure hard-working parents that baby is always kept comfortable, safe and entertained. With a chic minimalist design and space saving frame, it fits perfectly in any home.

Available in Essential Graphite, RRP £189

Boho Chic Co ection

The beautiful Boho Chic collection has been expertly designed to engage and soothe as well as complement the décor of any home with its natural materials and chic style. This collection features cute new Tiny Love characters; Dave the Sloth, Marc the Koala and Janice the Toucan and is comprised of a gorgeous Luxe Gymini, Musical Mobile and 2-in-1 Rocker.

Dual mode rocker for cosy naps £99.99 Gymini featuring 20 stimulating activities RRP £109.99 Mobile with beautiful design and variety of electronic features RRP £54.99

5-in-1 Here I Grow Walk Behind and Ride-On

The 5-in-1 Here I Grow Walk Behind & Ride-On™ with its unique multipurpose design allows baby to sit, stand, walk, ride or push for a full range of play options to match their growth and replaces the need for multiple mobility toys to help them to explore their world! This innovative and versatile new toy grows and adapts with each stage of a toddler’s mobility with 5 different modes, plus the feature-packed electronic activity panel promotes cognitive development and hand-eye coordination

Available in Pink and Blue, RRP 59.99