Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Homeware e-commerce retailer Lords of Notting Hill launched a new concept store in west London on Saturday June 8.
Brand director Rita Dewan said the new shop is enjoying “a very warm welcome from local residents. Feedback has been exceptionally encouraging.”
She added: “Plenty of thought has gone into designing a shop that has a fresh, cool environment with a wide selection of housewares products which will continue to grow. We have carefully chosen brands and ranges that we felt would be suitable in terms of utility and style, and so far this is proving to be a successful strategy.”
Staffed by four, the 210sq m shop is located at 82-86 Holland Park Avenue with estimated sales in excess of £750,000 for the first year’s trading.
Small appliances and cookware account for 20% each of the product mix, followed by bakeware and glassware at 15% each, and laundry, childrensware and crockery/tea/coffee accessories at 10% each. Key brands include Brabantia, KitchenAid, Reidel, LSA, Miele, Weber, Robert Welch Designs, Joseph Joseph, Le Creuset, Meyer with Circulon/Anolon and Dyson.
On opening day, Weber hosted a special BBQ promotion and Robert Welch Designs visited on Wednesday June 12 for a knife demo. Miele were at the store last Saturday June 15 for a vacuum demo day, and Brabantia will be there on Saturday June 29 for a promotional and educational day.
Lords of Notting Hill is part of the Lords Group based in west London, which was founded in 1984. With a trade distribution centre in Park Royal, the group includes builders merchants and a retail business specialising in DIY, homeware and paint stores. It also operates a homeware shop in Westbourne Grove.
But the Lords of Notting Hill brand is a new concept, tying in with the the company’s online shop of the same name. This was established in 2010 and focuses primarily on homeware products with a selection of DIY products.
The plan is to develop retail shops to complement the website: the company is currently in the early planning stages of rebranding Westbourne Grove.
Rita has been recruited to spearhead the launch of “the first of many stores planned by the company in London’s affluent high streets”. The group has already earmarked further sites in the capital.
Lords of Notting Hill won the Online Business of Year Award at the 2010 HSBC/Archant London Business Awards. The website, at www.lordsofnottinghill.co.uk, was commended by the judges for its ‘stylish high quality products and customer service’.
