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Eric's FAB blog
FAB And YBS United In The City Of Manchester
Published: Thursday 17th May 2012 @ 7:30am
A good time was had by all at the networking event held in Manchester on Wednesday May 16 by FAB, yourbrandspace.com and the Manchester Fashion Network. Independent fashion retailers, fashion brand owners and some people with a foot in both camps came together at the 2022NQ arts space in Dale Street for a convivial discussion of fashion matters. FAB's Eric Musgrave and Samantha Bleasby, co-founder of yourbrandspace.com, explained the merits of each initiative and then the networking and business card swapping began in earnest.
Jason Gerrard from Geko Fashion Marketing and brand consultant Kathy O'Driscoll
Nikki Hutchinson of Seasons in Clitheroe and fashion agent Amanda Field
Samantha Bleasby of yourbrandspace.com, FAB's Eric Musgrave, Nathalie Gibbins of Littleblackdress.co.uk 
Louisa Valvano of yourbrandsapce.com explains the online service 
Claire Bradbury of Irrestible Lingerie and Kathy O'Driscoll 
Eric Musgrave, Dale Hicks of Manchester Fashion Network and Tony McCarrick, FAB's membership manager 
Clare Morgan of Clamor Fashion Agency and Natalie Peters of Amabo Boutique in Lytham St Annes 
Samantha Bleasby and agents Caroline Moss-Blundell and Amanda Field 
Ozlem Moss from fashion brand Perla Blanca, Eric Musgrave and Suzanna Bain, online editor for RAS Publishing (WWB, MWB etc)
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Bicester Sets A High Bar
Published: Wednesday 2nd May 2012 @ 11:06pm
Members of the FAB committee were mightily impressed by the retailing standards at Bicester Village, the outlet centre close to FAB's office in Banbury. Even on a cold, dull Tuesday afternoon, the place was very busy. This year the centre expects to attract an astonishing 5.8 million visitors, some 40% of which will be Chinese citizens. Bicester Village has become a leading British tourist attraction. (www.ValueRetail.com)
These days the 140-plus stores are mainly at the top end of the sector, with Burberry, Dior, Gucci, Prada, Paul Smith and Valentino among them. The FAB contingent was particularly impressed by the immaculate cleanliness of the site and the consistently high level of shop windows and shop fits. Many of our high streets should take note. 
The FAB group are Melissa Wheeler (Ambiance of Colchester), bira CEO Alan Hawkins, Vicki Wheeler (Ambiance of Colchester), Bruce MacLaren (Dalziel Kingsize Menswear, Woking), Carol Hilton (Dressed of Harrogate), Lyn Wiltshire (Loula Lingerie, Leigh-on-Sea), bira's retail services director Bob Jarrett and FAB consultant Eric Musgrave
We were generously given a very thorough tour by Nilesh Rughani, retail manager of Value Retail Management, the owner of the site which opened 17 years ago. Bicester Village is well worth a visit by anyone interested in modern retailing trends.
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Come And Have A FAB Evening In Manchester On May 16
Published: Monday 30th April 2012 @ 12:59pm
It will give me great pleasure to welcome FAB members, potential members and fashion suppliers at a networking evening we have organised for the evening of Wednesday May 16 in Manchester.
FAB has teamed up with www.yourbrandspace.com, a new and innovative FREE service for retailers that showcases fashion brands, for an event that will make a business-focused meeting a very enjoyable social gathering.
Please do make an effort to come along – and encourage your friends and associates in the fashion business to attend also.
The details are:
Venue: 20 Dale Street, Manchester
Date: Wednesday, 16 May 2010.
Timings: 6.30pm doors open. 7pm presentations. 8pm Q&A session and open discussion. 8.30pm – 11pm Pay bar and networking
Tickets: £10 in advance via Manchester Fashion Network
The easiest way to book is to go to
http://www.manchesterfashion.com/event/311/independent-networking-night
If you have any questions, please email me on eric@ericmusgrave.co.uk. I am looking forward to a really entertaining and informative evening.
See you there!
Eric
PS If you would like FAB to organise a networking evening for fashion retailers and suppliers in your area, please let me know.
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Check Out Yourbrandspace.com
Published: Thursday 26th April 2012 @ 3:49pm
I am always on the lookout for good ideas for independent fashion shops. That’s why I like the look of www.yourbrandspace.com, a clever new FREE service for fashion buyers that allows them to view brands’ ranges online anytime.
The idea is the brainchild of Samantha Bleasby, former event director for the Pure London fashion show and Louisa Valvano, former global marketing director at WGSN, the fashion trends forecasting website. Given their knowledge of the industry Sam and Louisa realised that good fashion buyers cannot afford to wait until the show season to look for new products. Brands that sign up for www.yourbrandspace.com show their wares 24/7 – and there is no cost to retailers to sign up for the service!
The business has only been going for a few months – it launched almost exactly as the same time as FAB – but there is already an interesting selection of brands from Almost Famous to Yumi on the site. Currently there is a pronounced bias towards womenswear names, but the concept works for every category.
Like FAB, yourbrandspce.com really wants to see the UK’s independent fashion stores prosper so we are teaming up over the next few months to jointly host networking events to explain to retailers what we do and why they should sign up to us both. The first gathering will be in Manchester on the evening of Wednesday May 16, thanks to the cooperation of the Manchester Fashion Network. (Full details will follow shortly).
In the meantime, I recommend that fashion buyers who want to keep their selection fresh and interesting sign up to www.yourbrandspace.com. We like people who like the independent fashion sector.
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The Winning Ways Of Melissa Wheeler
Published: Wednesday 25th April 2012 @ 7:54am
Many congratulations to Melissa Wheeler from Ambiance of Colchester, who scooped two accolades at the bira Gala Awards Dinner in Birmingham last night. She was named as Fashion Association of Britain's UK Young Retailer of the Year and then topped that by winning the award for the best young retailer from all bira categories.
Melissa is seen here with her mother Vicki, owner of Ambiance, and bira CEO Alan Hawkins.
FAB committee chairman Bruce McLaren adds his congratulations. Melissa and Vicki recently joined the committee.
Birmingham Town Hall was the impressive venue for the Gala Awards Dinner, which followed the bira AGM and National Conference.
FAB member Matthew Hansford of menswear specialist J R Hansford in Chichester was named bira's Charitable Champion of the year for the superb charity work he does for children in Sri Lanka.
David Coe and his son William (second and third from left) proved to be an entertaining double act at the bira National Conference when they gave an overview of their East Anglian-based business. Their Ipswich flagship has been brilliantly updated and a new floor is still to be added (http://www.coes.co.uk). They also have yet to introduce an EPOS system, but William admitted he's leaving that project to his sisters. Other delegates at the conference included (from left) Bruce McLaren, Matthew Hansford, John Morris and Michael Hughes.
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The View From The Counter, Part 1
Published: Monday 16th April 2012 @ 11:11pm
Vicki and Melissa Wheeler from Ambiance of Colchester
In the first of a regular series of conversations with FAB members, I had an interesting chat with Melissa Wheeler, who works with her mother Vicki, the owner of Ambiance in Colchester. Both are members of FAB’s committee. Melissa’s comments will resonate with many independent fashion traders, I believe, in the current climate.
“With nearly a quarter of the year nearly gone, I must say 2012 has been erratic. It is frustrating trying to predict how a week will be. Trading has followed no obvious pattern. Some days are very good, some days are very poor, and there is no explanation for either.
“It hasn’t been an easy start to the year by any means. They say that if you do the same thing as you’ve always done, you’ll probably get the same result, so we have adopted a policy of trying a few different things that don’t cost us too much. As we have a few collections that don’t seem to be working this season, we sent an email to the 800-plus customers on our database offering an exclusive discount of 10% off three collections for last Friday and Saturday. Something like this doesn’t mean Sale posters over the shop. We hope it’s a nice gesture to make to our loyal customers, to encourage a few more of them to come in.
“Thanks to the promotion we had the best two days for a few weeks. It was a good ‘shot in the arm’ after a moderate to slow couple of weeks, not helped by the Easter bank holidays. The email appeared to have reminded some customers that we are here. Many of them came in with the email in hand but ended up providing us with a very healthy sale. In many cases they selected brands that were not listed on the email, but we honoured the 10% discount anyway.
“We may repeat this incentive idea on a broader ‘all brands’ basis in the future. Friday and Saturday is definitely a good choice logistically. We have run promotions mid-week before but we missed out on those who commute to London or who simply work full-time Monday-Friday. The Friday/Saturday combo seems to cover both camps. This was a great example of the trial-and-error strategy that we are employing at the moment. If you don’t try a new idea in a small way, you’ll never know. That said, we have been adamant not to fall into ‘Panic Promotions’.
“One thing that has helped us differentiate ourselves from the high street is taking special orders. Especially for occasion wear, we are going out of our way to work with suppliers to create a special outfit. Customers are reacting with relief and huge gratitude. We have a long list of special orders at the moment from people who could not have their needs met elsewhere. While a special order requires considerably more work from us, we have noticed that the loyalty we receive as a result is priceless.
“One of the really odd things about your customer is that you cannot judge a book by its cover. How people spend is fascinating. We recently had a size 18-20 lady who was very pleased because she found just what she was looking for £50 in our Sale room, which is a bit of an Aladdin’s Cave. But then she looked around the shop a bit more and ended up spending £1,500 with us. That was all because we had provided what she first wanted.
“Despite the economic conditions, the biggest rise in sales we have had has been in occasion wear and outfits for mother of the bride. It’s not just weddings, though. People need to dress up for days at the races, political events, even visits to Buckingham Palace. For the right occasion, people will still spend.
“One thing we are really concentrating on is making the customer feel special. I know as an independent fashion retailer we always do this, but we are making a concerted and concentrated effort to welcome them, offer them coffee, really look after them. We can’t compete with the high street on price and we wouldn’t want to. We are offering our own point of difference.”
Want to comment on Melissa Wheeler’s view from the counter? I’d be delighted to hear from you on eric@ericmusgrave.co.uk
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Let Them Eat Cake
Published: Thursday 5th April 2012 @ 12:04pm
Crumbs!
This fine example of the cake-maker's art arrived at FAB HQ courtesy of those nice people at Drapers.
It had a short but happy life with us - we ate it while reading Drapers' relaunch issue.
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Spreading The Word
Published: Friday 30th March 2012 @ 1:01pm
I want to give a big "Thank You" to those nice people at the RAS titles who have really got behind what FAB is trying to achieve. A Q+A feature on what FAB is all about is now online on the sites for WomensWearBuyer, MensWearBuyer, ChildrenswearBuyer and Fashion Extras. Watch out for more from FAB members in subsequent issues of these fine magazines. The links to the sites are as follows:
http://www.wwb-online.co.uk/article.php?id=350
http://www.mwb-online.co.uk/features-article.php?id=123
http://www.fashionextras-online.co.uk/article.php?id=266
http://www.cwb-online.co.uk/article.php?id=118
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Young Journalists Bang The Drum For New Independents
Published: Tuesday 27th March 2012 @ 10:37am
Well done to journalism students Hannah Stanton and Danielle Spears for highlighting the number of independent fashion shops that are opening in a short report that can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0Lbd1p8xGE Students at City University, London, the young news hounds quoted figures from bira that showed 20% more independent shops are opening than closing. In the report I explained that consumers found the spirited approach of independents more interesting than some of the bland predictability of the high street majors. It's good to see that the message about the strength of the FAB sector has reached even the next generation of journalists.
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The Future Of Independent Retailing Discussed At Pure
Published: Monday 26th March 2012 @ 9:29pm
Mick Weedon, deputy CEO at bira, FAB's parent association, was part of a panel discussion at Pure in February that discussed the future of the independent retail sector. This link is worth watching.
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On The Seminar Stage At Pure
Published: Monday 26th March 2012 @ 9:21pm
Last month on the seminar stage at Pure, I was joined by FAB members Sally White and Elaine Black. Both trade in Narberth, Pembrokeshire, and stress that even close neighbours can benefit from joining the association. Enjoy the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGJZ0agXzSQ&feature=youtu.be
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More From Moda
Published: Wednesday 22nd February 2012 @ 10:57am
On Monday, day two at Moda, the FAB Lounge and information stand saw a steady stream of visitors. Among those stopping by was FAB member Hilary Cookson (right), of Maureen Cookson in Whalley, Lancs, seen here with her accessories buyer Claire Holland Brooks and Tony McCarrick, FAB's national membership sales manager.
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In The Mood At Moda
Published: Monday 20th February 2012 @ 2:58pm
After FAB’s successful launch at Pure last week, the reception at Moda proved to be even more encouraging this weekend. The FAB Lounge at the NEC event was a popular stopping-off point for members and potential members and a lively group gathered for a drinks reception at the end of Sunday.
The mainstream show at the NEC, which opened on Sunday, was not hit by the icy weather that affected the London event and a realistically positive vibe was projected to its attendees. All sections at Moda – Woman, Menswear, Footwear, Lingerie & Swimwear, and Accessories – seemed busy as FAB’s audience went buying for next autumn.
FAB had a dedicated information stand alongside its lounge at Moda and the FAB team was able to make contact with retailers from all parts of the UK. At the show on Sunday were Sara Grant , Tony McCarrick, Ian Carr, Graham Bamford, Sarah Golden, Bob Jarrett and AIan Hawkins.
At the drinks reception on Sunday FAB member Tony Hall of Flair Fashion & Lingerie in Dartmouth met up with Isabella Griffiths, editor of WomensWearBuyer magazine, which is a strong supporter of FAB.
Mother and daughter Sandra and Rebecca Duthie of Shooligans, a kids’ shoe shop in Aberdeen, dropped by to learn more about the advantages of FAB membership.
Enjoying a well-earned glass or two were Sue Hinsley and Suzan Tew of Handbags & Gladrags in Southam, Warwickshire.
At the drinks reception Victoria Jackson, editor of MensWearBuyer, swapped notes with Mark Read and his nephew Richard from Read’s Footwear in Hull. MWB is also actively backing the FAB initiative.
Here’s to a good season, say Tracey Corless and Jackie Ford of Sparkles & Co, a gifts and accessories retailer in Liverpool.
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FAB Salutes The Inspiring Independents 2012
Published: Tuesday 14th February 2012 @ 8:21am
FAB's congratulations go to Mark Bage and the team at York-based Sarah Coggles, which topped the list of Drapers' Inspiring Independents for 2012. The announcement was made at a lively and well-attended party on Monday night, which was sponsored by FAB. Here FAB's Eric Musgrave congratulates Mark, who has built up an impressive multi-channel fashion business at Sarah Coggles.
Among the FAB crowd at the party were Eric Musgrave, marketing director Sarah Golden, bira CEO Alan Hawkins, committee members Sally White and John Morris, and committee chairman Bruce McLaren. FAB's sponsorship of the proceedings is part of the launch campaign to raise awareness of the group among the fashion independent sector.
John Morris of Tudor Williams took the opportunity to discuss millinery trends with the shy and retiring Vicky Ogden, who runs the accessory section at Pure.
Among the top retailers hearing about FAB's plans was Eddie Prendergast, who runs the influential Present menswear store in Shoreditch, London. Eddie was one of the founders of the legendary menswear brand The Duffer of St George.
FAB committee member Sally White, who owns White Boutique in Narbeth, south Wales, brought her mum Barbara along to the celebrations.
FAB's Eric Musgrave gave his backing to Bruce McLaren - and vice versa. Bruce is the FAB committee chairman and the owner of Dalziel Kingsize Menswear in Woking.
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Pure At Heart
Published: Monday 13th February 2012 @ 6:55am
The FAB Lounge at Pure proved to be a very popular stopping-off point at the Olympia show on Sunday. The official launch of the group was well received and the FAB team made an encouraging number of contacts with potential new members.
Seen here, FAB team Sue Beard, Sarah Golden, Tony McCarrick and Debbie Carter man the information booth.
Enjoying a well-earned drink at the end of Sunday were FAB members Jane Hollick and Bronja Twentyman, who had travelled down from their Bron-ja boutique in Wigton, Cumbria. They are seen with Debbie Carter, who was able to tell them how they could save about £150 using her advice on business insurance. So that was a useful visit!
FAB members Sally White of White Boutique and Elaine Black of Tom Hughes, both in Narbeth in west Wales joined Eric Musgrave on the Pure stage to discuss the new group and to swap notes on prospects for the independent fashion retailing sector in 2012. The verdict: it will be another tough year, but consumers will be looking to independent stores to offer something new, different and irresistible.
The FAB Lounge at Pure is in the Grand Hall, alongside stand No S103. We hope to see lots of members and potential members during Monday and Tuesday. We will also be having a similar area at Moda next weekend. Do drop by to learn more about FAB.
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FAB's Pure Activity
Published: Friday 10th February 2012 @ 11:02am
I am so looking forward to meeting FAB retailers at Pure this weekend. Members and prospective members will be most welcome to drop by the FAB lounge at the show for refreshments and to learn more about how FAB can positively assist their businesses.
We will be hosting a drinks reception at the lounge from 5pm to 6pm on Sunday, so come along to unwind after what we hope will have been a good day's buying. But feel free to drop in at any time during the three days of Pure.
Earlier on Sunday, at 4pm, I will be on the Contemporary stage (at the back of the Grand Hall) with FAB members Elaine Black of Tom Hughes and Sally White of White Boutique, both of which trade in Narberth, south Wales. Come along to hear how retailers even in the same town can benefit from joining our national network of fashion independents. Sally and Elaine will also be chatting about what's caught their eye at Pure.
FAB will also be represented in a panel discussion about protecting and strengthening independent retailing at 3pm on Sunday on the Contemporary stage. Handling your questions on that occasion will be Michael Weedon, deputy chief executive of bira, FAB's parent organisation.
And, in another chance to network, FAB is sponsoring the reception for Drapers' Inspiring Independents event on Monday evening. We are delighted to be part of this celebration of some of the best independent fashion stores in the UK. (Due to limitations of space, this is an invitation-only event.)
Finally, on Monday, February 13, I will be having my usual Pure chat with the pink-haired living legend that is Zandra Rhodes on the Contemporary stage. Being a one-off herself, Zandra is a big fan of fashion independents.
We hope you can find time for FAB in your Pure schedule. (And if not, we are at Moda the next weekend)
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A FAB Launch At The IMC Show
Published: Friday 10th February 2012 @ 8:37am
The heavy snow kept a few buyers away, but there was the usual warm welcome for all at the IMC menswear buying group meeting in Northants last weekend. Now more than 30 years old, the IMC is a brilliant example of what can be achieved when like-minded retailers work together for their common good. FAB was delighted to be present at the event - our world debut, actually - and we are pleased to note that a large percentage of IMC's retailer members are already members of FAB. Happily, new names were signed up too.
The black tie dinner on the Sunday evening was a well-dressed but informal event. I was particularly pleased that my Black Watch tartan DJ was approved by several members of the Scottish contingent. The IMC had organised a super quiz to be enjoyed throughout the dinner. My table did quite well but we failed to remember all the Seven Dwarfs. How could we have forgotten Sneezy? Well done to all at the IMC for another fine meeting. We are certain there won't be any snow to disrupt the summer event. FAB will be delighted to be there again.