88 BLADE AND ROSE T: +44 (0)1539 730 880 E: hello@bladeandrose.co.uk www.bladeandrose.co.uk people will always want to buy a gift for a new baby or the children in the family. Being sensitively priced while offering a beautiful quality product puts us in a good place. How do you view the future of independent retail? I really believe that the future for the independents is bright. Post COVID I see that many people want to continue to holiday in the UK but also experience ‘shopping’ again. We were all forced to utilise the internet during COVID, and this opened online shopping to a whole new demographic. However, consumers want to see unique gifts, they want to touch and feel the product first. The locations of some of the independent stores might change, from the high street to more out of town locations, linked to cafes, garden centres, farm shops where parking is free. The independents that thrive will be the ones that go that extra mile – beautiful window displays that are updated frequently with inspiring instore displays, adding in new product collections alongside best sellers, to keep the consumer returning regularly to see what is new. Are you active on social media? How is this important for the business? We are extremely active on social media. Our fan base supply us with so much content, gorgeous photos of their littles ones wearing our clothes. Until now I have been responsible for all of our social media however, we have just employed the services of a social media company to increase our content and focus on the newer platforms. Do you have any advice for new businesses starting out in the world of gifts? For us at Blade and Rose, we found a unique product format which resonated with a wide audience. Product is key no matter if you are a supplier or a retailer. Also be prepared to work hard and go that extra mile. What can we expect in the future from the company? Our focus is to increase our presence with independents and garden centres across the UK and Europe. We are now working with an experienced Marketing Consultant to help us expand our reach. There are also some new licensed collections under development which is so exciting. We are actively looking for new stockists in all areas. If you are interested in stocking our product please get in touch, we would love to talk to you.
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