Colchester gift store Bill & Bert’s – winner of The Greats 2020 Best Newcomer category – has been chosen as one of the UK’s favourite local businesses having received hundreds of votes in a nationwide competition sponsored by Town & City Gift Cards. The store was a runner up, with close to 200 votes.
Founder Bill Nettelfield, who was instrumental in bringing the Calendar Club brand to the UK, set up Bill & Bert’s in August 2019 with business partner Sarah Charlton, taking over a former Karen Millen store.
He says the success of his store is down to stock, staff and service. “I’ve worked on the high street since the 70s, starting with Lilywhites. I then opened a furniture shop in Halstead, ran a gift shop called Amy’s in Cheltenham for 10 years, and set up the London Aquarium Gift Shop. In 1998, the owners of Calendar Club wanted to bring the brand to the UK. In 20 years, we opened 300 stores.
“I left Calendar Club in 2017 and was thinking about what to do next,” he continues. “I don’t live far from Colchester so when the 2,500 square foot Karen Millen shop became available, I thought ‘we can do it differently here’.”
Commenting on the secret of the shop’s success, Bill explains: “We have a wide range of stock, and that is important to customers because they want to pick out the product in the specific shade of green they like, or pick up the bag in the shape and style they like. If people are making the effort to shop in person, they want choice and we have to offer that to compete with online. They are also incredibly keen to find gifts that are unique, and that’s why we stock items that you don’t see everywhere else.
Bill says that a visit to the store is more like a personal shopping experience. “It used to be the nationals that provided the best customer service but now it’s the independents who have to give themselves a point of difference. Customer service could be it. I’m proud of Bill & Bert’s and what we have built here in Colchester and thank everyone that voted for us and supported us.”
Bill & Bert’s is part of the Colchester Gift Card, which was introduced by Our Colchester Business Improvement District (BID) in summer 2021 as a way to encourage local shopping and keep spend locked into the area. The card can be spent with both independent and national brands.
“The mix of national brands and independents in a town or city is vital to its success, and that’s one of the things that makes the Colchester Gift Card stand out,” said Bill. “You can spend it at Lush, or you can use it to discover local independents. It’s a great idea.”
Colchester’s Gift Card is part of the Town & City Gift Card initiative from fintech Miconex, active across the UK and Ireland.
Top: Bill & Bert’s co-founders Bill Nettelfield and Sarah Charlton.
