Lee Smith, owner of Wooden Spoon The Cookshop, reports that trade in his Derby shop (within intu Derby shopping centre) is “great” while his branch in Burton’s Coopers Square Shopping Centre is “hit and miss”. The latter has not had time to get established, having opened last October: “It takes a year or two to build up,” notes Lee.
Footfall at intu Derby is down 40-50%, according to Lee, but the fewer customers that are coming into Wooden Spoon are spending more. “We’re not far off last year’s figures at the moment as our average sale is up by £10,” explains Lee.
“People have been coming in for knives and saucepans in particular. Having cooked more during lockdown, customers have realised they need something decent, and so we’ve sold more good, mid range priced products, such as Grunwerg’s Equilibrium Knives and Tower Saucepan Sets from RKW. People are also tending to go for the reassurance of brand names. We’re also selling a huge amount of face masks.”
The Wooden Spoon launched an ecommerce site in June – this is “encouraging people to come in to the shops to buy things they have seen online,” notes Lee.
* For more retailer feedback on trade since reopening from lockdown, see Progressive Housewares’ Food for thought [pages 19-21]
Top: Wooden Spoon The Cookshop in Derby.
