The Interview
Wendy Seddon: Girl power and sound business
17th January 2008
Richard Maynard talks to Wendy Seddon, the owner of three businesses operating from one site.
A former motorcycle showroom seems an unlikely base for a fashion shop for girls, but it has proved a perfect location for three businesses, all run by former Marks & Spencer executive Wendy Seddon.
Girls, Girls, Girls is the fashion store, The Girl Company is a website selling clothes and fashion items for girls, and The Schoolwear Company, a newer company specialising in schoolwear.
The company has been in Best of Bikes’ former showroom premises in Oxford Street, Newbury, for three years.
“I’ve always loved, and been interested in girlswear,” explained Wendy Seddon (pictured). “Ever since I started in retail. I still have, at home, a project I did when I was at M&S, aged about 22, looking into the market and opportunities, when I was based at one of the stores. When I was in head office, I had the opportunity to work in childrenswear, and in particular the girls’` area, and again, I enjoyed it so much because I could empathise with the product and the customer. It was more meaningful to me than anything else that I had done, so it's a passion I've always had, and I'm also from a family of five children, of which four us us were girls, so I've grown up in a very 'girly' environment all my life.
“I worked for quite a long time, 22 years in fact, and during that time I nearly left on quite a few occasions because I wanted to set up my own business.
“The first time I nearly left was in the late 80s, just when interest rates started to spiral out of control, and although my potential business partner did leave, I got cold fee and we didn’t go ahead with my plan. I then had this idea about a girls business in my head for quite a long time, and I needed to discuss it with a couple of close friends, developing the idea.
“Then I got made redundant my M&S, and it was matter of whether I could find the courage to do this. I knew what I wanted to do, but fear of failure stopped me from doing it at first.
“In the summer of 2004, my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and given a few months to live. The way he handled that knowledge, and lived out the last few months of his life, was so incredible and inspirational, that I thought that if he could face death with such courage, that it seemed quite pathetic that I didn't have the courage to try this. That's what prompted me to go ahead.”
At first, Wendy Seddon was not sure of the size of the gap in the market, and how much appeal there would be in Newbury, compared with London. Setting up with limited resources, she decided to focus on the local market – she admitted that despite living in Newbury for 18 years, living the commuter lifestyle meant that she had not really got to know the town.
The icing on the cake has been winning the Drapers’ Independent Kidswear of the Year award in November,
Wendy Seddon has always worked in retail, mostly for Marks & Spencer, starting in stores, before moving to head office in a variety of roles, including marketing and the launch of the M&S loyalty card.
It could, however, have been very different. After graduating in classical Arabic studies, she had an interview with MI6, but without a clear idea what what really interested her, she took a summer job with M&S, which led her into her retail career.
It was “a wonderful experience” she said, but one which did not give any insight into running a business.
Having established Girls, Girls Girls, the next phase, The Schoolwear Company, came quite suddenly. “I've got two daughters at St Bart’s, and they came home from school one day up in arms about the fact that their school uniform was going to be changing. They had a drawing of what the new uniform was going to be like, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them so ignited.”
This prompted to pitch for the contract herself, knowing that it would provide a stable business to underpin the whole operation. She was subsequently chosen by St Bartholomew’s at the end of the tender process, and has since secured the concession for St Gabriel’s School's uniform. She has devised a uniform which will have a new look at a lower price.
The early days of the St Bartholomew’s contract were dogged by supplier problems, and the company learned a valuable lesson about having a second supplier – in the second year, 97 per cent of all orders were fulfilled when pupils returned to school in September.
The third element, the online business, was developed a year after the opening of the shop. “It was always my intention to develop a web business, and it became more and more apparent how important it was for a long-term future. Also, to pay the overheads for a shop like this, I needed to generate additional revenue, and this was a way of doing it.
“Also, because, when I opened the shop, a lot of attention went into the branding, and the look and feel of it, and the development of the ‘g’ logo, it meant that it could be followed through to create a stylish, fun, simple-to-use website.
“What’s more challenging from a website is getting a good volume of traffic buying from you. It’s not like being in a high street, where people suddenly see you and walk in. What you have to be able to do is become visible through search engines, then through word of mouth and people recommending you.”
Traffic to the website has doubled in recent months. Orders are fulfilled onsite, without the expense of outsourcing.
The company’s clear strategy is one of continued growth for the year ahead, with the website expanding and through school uniform sales. In addition, two new footwear brands are planned, which will give better margins. Leli Kelly’s, and Geox trainers, will be the subject of major advertising campaigns.
One of The Schoolwear Company’s strengths is that it stocks uniforms all year round, unlike some of the supermarket and chain stores which only stock it during the ‘back to school’ period of the summer. All items are ethically sourced, after reports of some large companies selling cheap schoolwear made in sweatshops.
“I am still in a relatively new and young business,” she concluded, “but I am still excited about what the possibilities are. I still have a lot passion and energy to do a lot more to make this business successful.
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