In our series of interviews with independent childrenswear retailers on the reopening of their stores, Simon Large, ecommerce manager of Kathryns in Liverpool, shares his experience.

 

Laura Turner: Were you able to trade online during lockdown?

Simon Large: Yes, luckily our online store was already gaining a lot of traffic and sales before lockdown. We found demand was extremely high both locally and around the world. In particular, we have seen a huge surge in new customers from the USA and the Middle East.

LT: What measures did you put in place before reopening?

SL: Like most high street stores, we provide several hand sanitising points in the shop. We also have clear floor markings to keep customers distanced correctly. As well as walk-ins, we have a new appointment service to limit the number of customers waiting to enter the store. We have found customers actually prefer this; they get quite an exclusive service having the shop to themselves.

LT: How was your first week back trading?

SL: We didn’t really know what to expect beforehand. However, the response was amazing. We had our loyal customers queuing to get in on day one, all excited to buy their favourite brands. Everyone has been so respectful of the social distancing rules. We could not have asked any more from them.

LT: How are you finding the practice of social distancing in-store?

SL: We have reduced our hours slightly, but we are offering appointment services giving customers a personal buying experience. A lot more of our local customers are using the click and collect service on the website. We then provide them with a contactless collection method.

LT: Do you plan to do any buying this season?

SL: Yes, of course. Like most retailers, we have been very cautious in comparison to our usual spend. It is also a bit strange doing our buying via Zoom meetings. However, moving forwards, we believe the next season is going to be very exciting. We have some big surprises that we will be announcing in the next few months.

LT: How have you been promoting the reopening of the store?

SL: Google and social media have been the biggest drives for traffic and sales. We partner with a lot of external companies that have shown great support during these unusual times. We were also lucky to win a recent small business campaign that has enabled us to run adverts in national newspapers.

 

Kathryns
635 Prescot Road
Liverpool
L13 5XA