With three established gift and card stores in Liverpool, Utility has opened its first store on Oxford Road in Manchester, situated in the heart of the city’s university district.
“Manchester has long been on our wish list, and the redeveloped Bruntwood site, with its mix of other fresh and exciting brands, was a natural fit for us,” comments one of Utility’s three co-founders, Richard Skelton. “The store has had a phenomenal start and been fantastically received by customers both those that are new, and those familiar with us from our other stores.”
To celebrate last week’s official launch, the company offered a 15% discount on the day plus a free goody bag (worth £20) for customers spending £10 or more.
Fellow co-founder Kate Cowie told GiftsandHome.net that the existing Utility stores in Liverpool enjoyed their strongest ever Mother’s Day week in over 20 years of trading, with year on year sales up by over 30%.
“We had large posters made for each of the store windows saying ‘Best Mum In Liverpool’ and the window content reflected our strongest Mother’s Day related gifts,” Kate explained. “This followed through into the store with the front fixtures displaying relevant displays to increase gift sales. We also did a joint promotion with Katie Loxton and Joma where we offered a gift with purchase which proved popular.”
Utility was established in 1999 by partners Richard Skelton, Dick Mawdlsey and Kate Cowie. The company’s four stores are split into two formats: gift stores and furniture, home and lighting. Utility also operates a successful online business.
Top: Utility’s brand new Manchester outlet.
