Voice on the High Street: Francis Wain Jewellers

Name: Donné Kidson, Francis Wain Jewellers

Location: Norfolk

Year Established: 1950

Number of staff: 15

Website: www.franciswainjewellers.com

Give us a bit of background about the business

We are a long-established independent jewellers based in Norfolk with two branches, our flagship store in King’s Lynn and a smaller boutique in the Chapelfied mall, Norwich. Since opening its doors, Francis Wain has developed a loyal client base of customers from all over Norfolk.  We are a trusted brand supplying high quality unique pieces. We pride ourselves on an exceptional level of customer care as well as the broad range of exclusive services we offer.

You offer a bespoke design service; does that help you to stand out from your competitors?

Certainly. We may be living in a world full of choices, but it can often be difficult to find exactly what you’re looking for, or work out what you have in mind. Your jewellery should be as individual as you are, and we offer our clients the opportunity to create their perfect piece within the parameters of their own personal style and budgets. They take great pleasure in being as involved in the process as they wish to be and working alongside our in-house designer, seeing their ideas develop from concept to creation. It is truly a unique experience.

You recently refurbished your King’s Lynn store, has this improved your offering?

The refurbishment has enabled us to create a more fluid look to our foyer, with a sweeping curved front window that naturally leads people in and the open floor-plan of our ground floor leaves plenty of room for customers to comfortably peruse our displays. We have remodelled the first floor of the building to create a Bridal Lounge and Champagne Bar. So, whether it be a couple choosing their engagement and wedding rings or a bridal party choosing their bridal hire jewellery, we are able to offer them the privacy and space to do this alongside the undivided attention of their personal jeweller.

Is there increasing demand for ethically sourced jewellery?

Although we have had the odd enquiry from our customers this is not something we have noticed an increase in. It is however something we have always felt vitally important.  

As a retailer, how do you keep pace with the online retail world?

The internet is an essential tool for any retailer. We have a strong team dedicated to our online marketing, who post a multitude of updates via our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and various other social networking accounts, as well as managing our SEO, and pay-per-click. On top of this, we have the Francis Wain website where customers can browse and buy our jewellery online. We are currently developing this.

Where do you see the business in two years?

Our focus for the next two years will be fully establishing our branch in Chapelfield, and building up a fantastic reputation with prospective clients in Norwich. We are nearing our first anniversary at the end of October, and hope to see many more in the future.