The Interview
What's in store for a Newbury landmark?
8th May 2008
THERE'S a family tree on the wall of Camp Hopson, showing the history of Newbury's department store since its foundation in 1854. Now, the fifth generation of the Hopson family to be involved with the store, chief executive Jonathan Hopson (pictured), has overseen some of the most significant developments in its history, including the opening of the furniture centre 10 years ago and the £8m redevelopment of the main store completed two years ago. This saw a brand new building to the rear, with River Island and HSBC moving in to the Northbrook Street frontage.
Which of these does Mr Hopson regard as being the most significant? "They're both significant because one paved the way to the other to a certain extent," he said. "But the new store is the most significant."
He admitted that such a major change to a local landmark was a brave decision, but said that as the old store was quite literally falling down. "We had reached the point where if we were going to be serious retailers of the future, then we had to make this significant investment in a new store, with escalators, air conditioning, lights and so on, because in today's world, that's how retail works. You can no longer be a serious player if you don't have that infrastructure."
The project took just over two years in the building and many more in the planning. The reaction from customers, he said, has been "absolutely superb".
"In a very short space of time, we've taken the company forward dramatically, and I'm delighted that the vast majority of customers have come with us. They are delighted with the new store, the brands, the environment, the promotions, but most of all they're thrilled with the customer service, which has actually improved. It was already at a very high level, but in the new store, it's even better."
Being independent, he agreed, was key to this. "You're more able to react to the changing marketplace and customers' expectations. You're nimbler on your feet.
"You're more adept at moving quickly. If you're a big national multiple and you have to make a change across 60 stores, it takes some time to do that. But we've only got one, so we can do that quite quickly."
In an age where high streets are slowly ‘blandifying' into clones of each other, populated almost exclusively by chainstores, Jonathan Hopson is fiercely proud of Camp Hopson's status. "One of our strengths is that we are unique, and that we haven't got a chain of stores across the south of England, and that we've been here since 1854.
"We've changed and we will carry on changing, but we're a point of difference and at the same time a point of continuity. Certainly in the local community after 154 years, we're into multi-generations."
No discussion on retailing can ignore the internet, seen by many as the biggest single threat to the high street are more customers opt to do their shopping online. "I would say there's two sides to the internet," he said.
"On the one hand, it's definitely competition to us, in the sense that the share of the retail cake going through the internet is increasing, on the other hand, it is also a wonderful opportunity. We are currently going through testing of a small transactional website which we hope to launch later this year. That will be our first foray into e-commerce. We're starting deliberately very small and with products that will not be available in the store. It will all be web-exclusive offers."
He added: "Our main business is on this site, and is what you can see and touch for real. The internet will be an adjunct to that and I'm sure it will grow, but I'm equally sure that it probably won't overtake what we're doing here. It complements it."
Not that Camp Hopson wants to be seen as a supplier of exclusively niche products. "In some categories, we will not be able to compete with the bigger players, and therefore shouldn't compete. We should concentrate on being excellent in the areas that we retail in. So for example cosmetics, we now have the vast majority of the key brands - 4,500 sq ft of new cosmetic hall, which in terms of range, you have to go to one of the much bigger regional shopping centres to get a bigger offer - probably Reading, Swindon or Southampton. It's a similar strategy in all our departments, with the possible exception of haberdashery."
Haberdashery, he pointed out, may not be the biggest department, but there are enough customers to make it worthwhile, and no one else in Newbury is doing it.
"The thing with department store retailing is that you can't please all the people all the time, and you have to set your stall out and say ‘This is the market that we're aiming for', and be clear and bold about what you're doing.
"And that necessarily means that some people won't be positive about what you're not offering what they want." He cited the example of children's wear, which the store no longer stocks. The facilities at Joseph's, the store's second floor restaurant, means that it is still able to attract parents of small children.
Trading figures are currently healthy, even compared to last year's record performance, although Mr Hopson is under no illusion that customers will only shop where they find best value. The credit crunch would appear to have had only a marginal effect and orders are up.
As the argument rumbles on over the planned development in Park Way, Camp Hopson will find itself directly affected by the massive new shopping centre. As a leading retailer, Jonathan Hopson is hugely positive towards the scheme. "Park Way is the single most important factor that will influence Newbury's future success, in my opinion. At Camp Hopson we are very supportive of Park Way despite the fact that some of the brands we stock will probably move into bigger units in Park Way. We don't have a problem with that. That's good news for us - it gives us some space to do something more with. And it's good news for the customer, and in one development, taking two years to build, there will be an additional 50 brands in Newbury, that's got to be good news."
Mr Hopson has even written to West Berkshire Council, making the case why the scheme should proceed, despite the prospect of reduced developer contributions. "Faced with the prospect of having Park Way with lower Section 106 contributions or no Park Way at all, I'd rather have Park Way with lower contributions. If that's what's required to make the scheme viable and make it happen, then so be it."
Asked to name his proudest achievement, the answer, predictably, is the re-development of the store, with an addition: "On a different level, and assuming I complete it, I will be thrilled and delighted if I manage to complete the London to Brighton bike ride in June, within a reasonable time, along with five colleagues." Money raised from this feat will benefit the British Heart Foundation, in memory of his late father David Hopson, who ran the store for many years. All sponsorship, he said, will be gratefully received.
Which of these does Mr Hopson regard as being the most significant? "They're both significant because one paved the way to the other to a certain extent," he said. "But the new store is the most significant."
He admitted that such a major change to a local landmark was a brave decision, but said that as the old store was quite literally falling down. "We had reached the point where if we were going to be serious retailers of the future, then we had to make this significant investment in a new store, with escalators, air conditioning, lights and so on, because in today's world, that's how retail works. You can no longer be a serious player if you don't have that infrastructure."
The project took just over two years in the building and many more in the planning. The reaction from customers, he said, has been "absolutely superb".
"In a very short space of time, we've taken the company forward dramatically, and I'm delighted that the vast majority of customers have come with us. They are delighted with the new store, the brands, the environment, the promotions, but most of all they're thrilled with the customer service, which has actually improved. It was already at a very high level, but in the new store, it's even better."
Being independent, he agreed, was key to this. "You're more able to react to the changing marketplace and customers' expectations. You're nimbler on your feet.
"You're more adept at moving quickly. If you're a big national multiple and you have to make a change across 60 stores, it takes some time to do that. But we've only got one, so we can do that quite quickly."
In an age where high streets are slowly ‘blandifying' into clones of each other, populated almost exclusively by chainstores, Jonathan Hopson is fiercely proud of Camp Hopson's status. "One of our strengths is that we are unique, and that we haven't got a chain of stores across the south of England, and that we've been here since 1854.
"We've changed and we will carry on changing, but we're a point of difference and at the same time a point of continuity. Certainly in the local community after 154 years, we're into multi-generations."
No discussion on retailing can ignore the internet, seen by many as the biggest single threat to the high street are more customers opt to do their shopping online. "I would say there's two sides to the internet," he said.
"On the one hand, it's definitely competition to us, in the sense that the share of the retail cake going through the internet is increasing, on the other hand, it is also a wonderful opportunity. We are currently going through testing of a small transactional website which we hope to launch later this year. That will be our first foray into e-commerce. We're starting deliberately very small and with products that will not be available in the store. It will all be web-exclusive offers."
He added: "Our main business is on this site, and is what you can see and touch for real. The internet will be an adjunct to that and I'm sure it will grow, but I'm equally sure that it probably won't overtake what we're doing here. It complements it."
Not that Camp Hopson wants to be seen as a supplier of exclusively niche products. "In some categories, we will not be able to compete with the bigger players, and therefore shouldn't compete. We should concentrate on being excellent in the areas that we retail in. So for example cosmetics, we now have the vast majority of the key brands - 4,500 sq ft of new cosmetic hall, which in terms of range, you have to go to one of the much bigger regional shopping centres to get a bigger offer - probably Reading, Swindon or Southampton. It's a similar strategy in all our departments, with the possible exception of haberdashery."
Haberdashery, he pointed out, may not be the biggest department, but there are enough customers to make it worthwhile, and no one else in Newbury is doing it.
"The thing with department store retailing is that you can't please all the people all the time, and you have to set your stall out and say ‘This is the market that we're aiming for', and be clear and bold about what you're doing.
"And that necessarily means that some people won't be positive about what you're not offering what they want." He cited the example of children's wear, which the store no longer stocks. The facilities at Joseph's, the store's second floor restaurant, means that it is still able to attract parents of small children.
Trading figures are currently healthy, even compared to last year's record performance, although Mr Hopson is under no illusion that customers will only shop where they find best value. The credit crunch would appear to have had only a marginal effect and orders are up.
As the argument rumbles on over the planned development in Park Way, Camp Hopson will find itself directly affected by the massive new shopping centre. As a leading retailer, Jonathan Hopson is hugely positive towards the scheme. "Park Way is the single most important factor that will influence Newbury's future success, in my opinion. At Camp Hopson we are very supportive of Park Way despite the fact that some of the brands we stock will probably move into bigger units in Park Way. We don't have a problem with that. That's good news for us - it gives us some space to do something more with. And it's good news for the customer, and in one development, taking two years to build, there will be an additional 50 brands in Newbury, that's got to be good news."
Mr Hopson has even written to West Berkshire Council, making the case why the scheme should proceed, despite the prospect of reduced developer contributions. "Faced with the prospect of having Park Way with lower Section 106 contributions or no Park Way at all, I'd rather have Park Way with lower contributions. If that's what's required to make the scheme viable and make it happen, then so be it."
Asked to name his proudest achievement, the answer, predictably, is the re-development of the store, with an addition: "On a different level, and assuming I complete it, I will be thrilled and delighted if I manage to complete the London to Brighton bike ride in June, within a reasonable time, along with five colleagues." Money raised from this feat will benefit the British Heart Foundation, in memory of his late father David Hopson, who ran the store for many years. All sponsorship, he said, will be gratefully received.
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