OnCourse event with retail entrepreneurs
Two leading entrepreneurs at the forefront of Nottingham’s dynamic retailing sector will share their experiences with the OnCourse Innovation Leadership network on June 17 at Nottingham Contemporary.
Jeff Allen of Castle Sound & Vision and Philip Trease of Weavers of Nottingham Wine Merchants offer high quality products coupled with excellence in customer service. They have created the knack of making the buying experience one of pleasure and anticipation and built a strong and loyal following with an appreciative and growing clientele across the region.
Both are guest speakers at the OnCourse event run by Nottingham Development Enterprise (NDE), when the two leaders will talk about their personal journeys to success and the challenges facing businesses in these niche markets.
Castle Sound & Vision, founded by managing director Jeff Allen in 1997, is the leading home cinema, home automation and hi-fi specialist in the East Midlands. It provides a complete design and installation service including sound and vision throughout the home, lighting control and telephone systems, internet access, home security and entry systems. In a business characterised by high net worth customers usually demanding in their requirements, a high level of customer service is essential.
“In a rapidly changing high tech environment, one of the few constants is the relationship between suppliers and customers,” said Jeff Allen. “Understanding customers’ needs and making sure the customer knows you understand those needs is key to surviving in a volatile environment.”
Weavers is one of Nottingham’s oldest independent businesses and director Philip Trease is the 5th generation of the family to be involved in its operation. It supplies a comprehensive range of wines, spirits and liqueurs throughout the UK from the popular easy drinking styles through to the traditional and more unusual, rare and sought after products. Joining Weavers in 1998 Philip now buys a portfolio of wines and spirits and takes the lead on website development and building business relationships.
“Technology has its place when used sensibly but it should never get in the way of speaking to customers directly,” said Philip Trease. “A personalised approach, both in terms of the goods sold and the service offered, helps to create a more memorable and individual offer for customers.”
Both Jeff and Philip sit on the Steering Group of the Nottingham Retail Business Improvement District (BID), an initiative designed to improve the shopping experience in the city centre for the benefit of retailers and shoppers.
Greater Nottingham Partnership (GNP) is funding the OnCourse Innovation Leadership series, which attracts both aspiring and established entrepreneurs to its events, until 2011. Business Link is sponsoring this event.