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Chiltern's Online Knockout
Chiltern Mills, the Leeds based discount retailer, have proudly announced the launch of their new website alongside the opening of their new store in Sutton in Ashfield.
Chiltern Mills expansion plans continue unabated with the opening of a new store in Sutton together with the launch of an e-commerce site designed to extend and promote their ever-growing brand.
Chiltern Mills, Managing Director, Merlin Treymaine adds: "This year alone we have had store openings in Redcar and Sutton, and with another shop coming soon in Worksop to take the total number of Chiltern stores to nine. Future openings are being marked to service the existing catchment areas of Yorkshire, the North East and Derbyshire. To extend our offering beyond these existing catchment areas we have launched an e-commerce site.
Chiltern felt that we needed hands on experience to develop the e-commerce site so we have partnered with Hitura who act as our in-house e-commerce team. They have provided us with sound advice on the business strategy, the best online sales channels as well as building and maintaining the site. This long term partnership is exceptionally beneficial to us with the site being launched quicker, running costs are lower but most importantly the ongoing ideas they have given us for developing the online business. Within the first few days of the launch, orders were received from the site many from outside our current catchment areas"
The partnership developed after a chance meeting between Merlin Treymaine, and Hitura Managing Director, David Oxley. David had been heavily involved in launching Furniture 123, the leading UK 's online furniture store based in Leeds. He formed Hitura three years ago with two directors, Josh Tenser and Ryan Kliszat.
David Oxley explains: "Even in our start up years, we have built e-commerce sites that have proved successful. Now we have extended our services to provide all the key areas of expertise for e-commerce implementation. In effect we say to clients let's marry your retailing skills with our e-commerce skills. So as well as building and maintaining the site, we now implement sales initiatives, offer storage space, pick and pack the goods and deliver the final product to the customer. By providing the client with this one point of contact we make it so much easier for them to implement their online presence as we take care of the areas that they do not understand and this give them great peace of mind.
Chiltern Mills are a successful family company who had the vision and desire to extend their brand online whilst maintaining the same core values they have established in their stores. We feel that our partnership with Chiltern is based on a great deal of trust and we clearly set out all the tasks that we both undertake so there is no confusion over roles."
Barrington Treymaine, Marketing Director of Chiltern, adds
"Chiltern had a high level of input throughout the site's development in order to ensure that our core values, which have proved to make the brand such a success with our out of town sites, was extended online.
"Not only will the site make it easier for those inside of the current catchment areas to purchase quality home wares at their convenience but it will also open up Chilterns doors to the rest of mainland UK offering the same great value nationwide. We have used a number of marketing channels to promote the site both online and offline and we are pleased with the initial sales results that are showing a very good upward trend. Over 40% of the initial sales have come from the London area which is absolutely fantastic for us"
Ryan Kliszat, Project Director of Hitura: "Any bricks and mortar brand poses unique challenges when trying to translate online. With Chiltern we needed to create an online catalogue which, could present the customer with thousands of variations on colours, size and material for Chiltern bestsellers like curtains in a user friendly way. To make life easier for the customer we programmed the site to suggest complimentary products based on what they had bought just as someone in the store would do!
Behind the scenes Chiltern have an online system, which allows them to manage their products, customers and orders easily and quickly leading to internal efficiencies and a satisfying experience for the customer. The Chiltern Mills brand is being introduced to a new national audience through online marketing who are choosing their great prices in comparison to the online competition"
And as for the future? Whilst plans for the opening of a ninth store appear to be well under way, Chiltern and Hitura remain closely involved in the marketing and development of the website in order to promote ongoing and future popularity. Chiltern look forward to the continuing success and wish to invite existing customers and potential customers to log on and see for themselves.
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