This month sees Rex London celebrating its 40th anniversary. The company started with a market stall on the Portobello Road in 1981 and has gone on to become a successful online retailer and wholesaler of ‘gifts of random kindness’, winning a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade along the way for outstanding continuing growth in overseas sales.
GiftsandHome.net asked ceo Nigel Biggs to look backwards and forwards.
How does it feel to be celebrating 40 years?
“More than anything, a vindication that we must doing something right! When we look back, we can see that we have had highs and lows along the way, the same as any other successful company, but have always managed to steer a clear path ahead. Over the years it has been quite amusing, and not a little satisfying, to have sold kimonos to Japan, boomerangs to Australia and even inflatable tulips to Amsterdam!”
What do you see as the secret of the company’s success?
“At the backbone of our success is the longevity of our employees. The majority of our staff have been with us for over ten years and a few, more than 30! This means that, over time, they have been able to develop that complex understanding of everything that’s involved working within a niche market. As a company, we tend to work collaboratively and this is much easier to do while retaining a stable workforce.”
What have been the highlights for the company over the past four decades?
“Winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade in 2019 is a major highlight in our company history. It was the culmination of many years of hard work and we are immensely proud. Also, opening an EU Hub in Belgium this year feels like a massive step forward for us. It will allow us to continue to expand our European markets relatively stress-free and with limited logistical hassles.”
If you could bring back any product from the archives, what would it be?
“It would have to be inflatables. We originally sold them in the 1980s and they were such a fabulous, fun product. Bananas at football grounds became a massive thing and were all supplied by us.”
What’s your view on the gift marketplace at the moment?
“The gift marketplace has been undergoing a period of profound change over the last few years. We have never had so much variety in terms of the way we buy and what we buy. Our business has always been naturally ebullient and will rise to the twin challenges of a post-Brexit landscape and aggressive, direct-from-China discount retailing on platforms such as Amazon.”
What’s in the pipeline for Rex London for the rest of the year?
“It’s onwards and upwards for us! Our buying team, in tandem with our design department, are flat-out creating more of the wonderful products that we know our customers love. While we are always aware of current and coming trends, we are not beholden to them. Ultimately, the product has to sell, so good design is much more important to us than just sticking an image of the latest thing on to a product. When I was young, lots of manufactured goods like giftware were made in Japan. As time progressed, this shifted to Hong Kong and then to Taiwan and now to China. With one eye on reports of Chinese expansionism and the possibility of tensions with the West ahead, we are aware that nothing lasts forever, so consequently we are trying to source a lot more of our products from different parts of the globe.”
Will we see Rex London at any of the upcoming trade shows this Autumn?
“Currently we are making preparations for Autumn Fair and Maison & Objet in Paris. There’s a real buzz about the place in anticipation of getting back to ‘normal’.”
As a company, what are you doing to celebrate your 40 year milestone?
“It’s strictly business as usual. Maybe in a quiet moment we’ll raise a glass or two!”
Top: Rex London’s ceo Nigel Biggs.
