Sandersons team adapt and prepare for the future during lockdown

16 April 2020

The team at Sandersons Department Store at Fox Valley in north Sheffield are using the current lockdown to re-adapt and re-group, looking at different ways of connecting with their customers and preparing their award-winning store ready for reopening later in the year.

The store closed its doors on Mother’s Day (Sunday March 22^nd) just over three weeks ago and the majority of staff were placed on furlough.

With a core team of four the store has now launched a new free home delivery service for the local area as well as Sandersons Marketplace.

Communication with suppliers about forthcoming orders have also been key over the last three weeks as well as looking at improvements and enhancements to put Sandersons in the best position when fashion stores are permitted to re-open.

Sandersons was launched in September 2016 by Sheffield businesswoman Deborah Holmes who sadly passed away last year. Deborah’s husband Mark Dransfield, who is the Managing Director and founder of Dransfield Properties Ltd, now heads up the store.

During the lockdown Mark and Deborah’s 21-year-old daughter Lucy has been helping with the business, identifying the opportunity to launch a free local home delivery service which now compliments the successful e-commerce site which also continues to operate safely.

The store has reached out to customers through social media with online make up tutorials and chats with those members of the Sandersons team that shoppers are used to seeing in the popular store seven days a week.

Mark said: “Being a small business we were able to put safe social distancing systems in place quickly and efficiently so we could continue to offer a service to our local customers. We really didn’t know how well it would be received initially, but the response has been incredible and we’ve had some really lovely feedback from our shoppers.”

Other innovations the store has introduced are the online payment scheme Klarna and Sanderson Marketplace which is aimed at clearing older stock at cut prices, allowing customers to pick up fantastic brands with good discounts.

Mark added: “We are really used this time to adapt and reflect and look at what we do well and of course what we can do better when we re-open. Continuing to engage and communicate as a brand to our customer is absolutely vital to a successful return and that was something we instinctively knew we had to keep up after we closed temporarily on March 22^nd.

“We’re also using the time to sort out our old stock and liaise with our suppliers, those relationships are vitally important to us, particularly as we don’t know when we will be permitted to reopen and what restrictions may still be in place when we do.”

Sandersons is home to a range of brands including Barbour, Barbour International, Part Two, Guide London, Tommy Hilfiger, Hobbs and Soya Concept. The store has recently launched its new luxury perfumery department with a range of exclusive fragrances from perfume houses including House of Oud, Robert Piguet, Mugler and Atkinsons.

In September last year the store’s Sanderson Spa was launched by Joanna Lumley OBE and the same month Sandersons was named Best New Independent Retailer in the annual Drapers Independent Awards.

To see the full range of Sandersons brands visit the stores website at www.sandersonsdeptstore.co.uk

Dransfield Properties owns and manages successful mixed use developments across the UK, including Fox Valley as well as Sanderson Arcade in Morpeth, Marshall’s Yard in Gainsborough and Five Valleys in Stroud which is currently undergoing a major refurbishment.

For further information, contact:

Public Relations Department, Dransfield Properties Ltd
Tel: 01226 360644
Email: pr@dransfield.co.uk