In the next few weeks UnderlinesMagazine.com will be speaking to independent lingerie stores up and down the country facing what is the greatest challenge in our recent history for retailers across the globe. Good retailers don’t do something just to be seen to be doing it – they do it because it is relevant to their purpose and the right thing to do. How retailers respond in the coming months will be remembered by customers and employees for years to come.
When we emerge from this the retailers who have connected with customers in an authentic way will be rewarded with ongoing loyalty. Smaller retailers who invest in their customer service offering and support in a critical moment of their customers’ lives won’t be forgotten and will help maintain a longer relationship into the future. Here is our first insight from Marjorie Thompson, owner of Chantilly Lingerie in Rochdale.
Chantilly’s first day of closure was the 23rd March. As it was our 35th year anniversary on the 23rd February 2020 we had decided to have our big week of offers and special days on the week commencing the 23rd March (because February was half term) so it feels very sad. We had revamped and refurbished the shop for this event. At the end of the day lives are on the line and everything else has to be put aside.
We sent an email to all our customers at the start and the shop telephone is switched through to my mobile so I am continuing to answer calls and emails. I am going down to the shop when necessary to send internet orders from our own e-commerce website (chantillyonline.co.uk) and have also been personally delivering orders to local customers.
And personal contact/appointments?
I have had people ask but I don’t think that this is appropriate as you cannot fit customers at two metre distance – you cannot put lives at risk to fit a bra. On the last day we worked 21st March, I fitted a nurse who was pregnant and working in the Virology Department who told me that she was not wearing protective clothing at work which was shocking. As younger people are losing their lives to this virus I think that it is important to stick to the rules. It works both ways too as you can spread the virus before you show signs and you could catch it yourself from a customer. Inadvertently spreading the virus and potentially causing someone to die would be unbearable.
I am used to helping ladies over the phone to find their correct size, I do this on a regular basis and it works very well. Good brand knowledge is essential. We use Facebook and Twitter but have also used Skype in the past and it is an option.
In your enforced leave from your business, do you think you are being well enough informed by national government?
Yes. Government information is available (I did a webinar this morning on furloughed employees) but I think the Government should have gone into lockdown sooner. The only way to end this quickly is rapid testing and contact tracing. Germany has led the way on this with over 500,000 tests per week and the death rate reflects this with much less than 1% as opposed to 10% in Spain and Italy. Ultimately, the longer we are in lockdown the more impact on the economy and I am sure that this pandemic will be catastrophic for many businesses who haven’t got the resources to survive the aftermath of this modern day plague.
Have you had difficulties accessing or getting information on the Business Interruption Loan?
I am hoping not to need a Government loan but have asked my bank for an overdraft facility just in case.
Can you take advantage for yourself and/or any full or part time staff of the Job Retention Scheme?
The Job Retention Scheme is fantastic. I have furloughed my staff as I don’t want to lose them and I am so far paying the extra 20% to make up their wages which I will do for as long as I can depending on how long this lasts. With the lack of testing it is going to go on for some time and I will re-evaluate as we progress through the crisis. Even so it is going to be the end of April till this scheme is up and running, so you would have to have the resources in the first instance to continue paying the wages.
If you are still selling online have you noticed any trends towards soft and unstructured garments (as opposed to fitted corsetry)?
Internet sales have slowed down but we have been selling across the board so we have not seen this trend thus far. Obviously at this time we would normally be selling swimwear and new bras for holidays. As people aren’t going out it will affect sales, especially of the more luxury items.
Where do you think small independents can put their energy to future-proof their business e.g. digital assets, niche products and your ‘public’ image to customers?
Good question, I am going to have to think about this one. I do think that this catastrophic crisis is going to be a game changer moving forward. I don’t think things will automatically just go back to the way we were before and I think business could move more to online as people who wouldn’t normally buy online will get used to this way of purchasing items.
Public image and customer care is very important but I don’t think I could do much more in this respect. I have spent the last 35 years developing and ‘going the extra mile’ to accommodate my customers and have always done my absolute best to meet their requirements. I just hope that the customers that we have continue to support the business. A good message to get across is that quality products last for years as opposed to weeks with cheaper products and therefore have much less impact on the planet than cheaper ‘wear a few times then throwaway’ products. A decent fitted bra works out much more cost effective in the long run.
The travel industry has been decimated and we sell a lot of holiday swimwear which will obviously be severely impacted this year. It will make it almost impossible to predict what swimwear/beachwear to buy for next year. The fact that airlines will fold creating less competition and people becoming more climate-aware will make foreign travel out of the reach for lots of people. Prices for everything will rise and I could just weep thinking about Brexit on top. Brexit was going to be bad for business anyway so this on top and tariffs on imports and less availability of products from Europe doesn’t bear thinking about.
The future has never been more unpredictable than now. Business has to be in a position to adapt and change as the problems unfold and react to the market which is difficult when we forward order six months in advance. I wish I had a crystal ball but who knows what will happen, the only sure thing is that prices will rise and I think significantly as the year unfolds.
Would you consider doing an online poll with your customers, running stories to keep them occupied and asking them what they would like to see in your store when it reopens?
That might be an option to look at but it is not something that we had thought of doing.
Have you been using your ‘face’ as the face of the business online?
No – I don’t want to put people off but I could look at that too. We have a very good relationship with our online customers anyway and get dozens of lovely emails praising our customer service.
Has this crisis given you food for thought and inspired new creativity now you actually have more time to analyse?
There is a need for everyone in business now to get creative about promoting and reshaping their business to meet shifting customer demands moving forward.
Have you any initiatives for special deliveries to charity or to the medical profession?
As a family we have been making financial donations to food banks in our area to try and keep people fed as there are so many people slipping through the net but I will give this some thought. I am in touch with local business organisations who have been looking for help but have not seen anything that I would be able to do as it has been more about mask and protective clothing manufacture.
