The India Shop opens in Newbury

admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:57:56 +0000

The India Shop, one of the UK’s very first fair trade importers of goods and gifts from India, has opened its fourth shop in Newbury, Berkshire.

The shop, at 4 Bridge Street, opened just 24 hours after directors Anne and John Wyles collected the keys from the landlord.

Anne Wyles, director of the independent retailer, said: “We spotted the empty shop in the town centre and realised that it was too good an opportunity to miss. We’ve been looking to expand into Newbury for a while, it’s such a busy and thriving town centre, especially since a smart new shopping centre opened there a few months’ ago. We have taken a short lease on the property but if all goes well we hope to make it permanent.”

The India Shop team picked up the keys at around 2pm on Friday 4 November, and got to work on a 24-hour challenge to get the shop ready to trade.

Working through the night the team cleaned, repaired and repainting the entire shop interior, installing lighting and shelving and laid out stock. They opened triumphantly at 12.10pm on Saturday 5^th November.

Their faith in the town appears to be paying off as Anne reports trade as brisk on Saturday and Monday. “Newbury is a Fair Trade town. The India Shop is one of the earliest advocates of fair trade, so it seems an ideal match,” she said.

The India Shop, which was established in 1987, imports and sells Fair Trade handicrafts, including gifts, furniture and home wears from India, to provide sustainable employment for disadvantaged producers and to keep the living legacy of Indian handicrafts alive. The idea for the business came after managing director Anne Wyles made a much-longed-for visit to India wither her husband. She saw the wonderful handicrafts from across India and she also saw the poverty. At that time there weren’t many Indian lifestyle products available in the UK market, only from Liberty’s at the high end and cheesecloth market traders at the low end. The India shop sells products with three qualities: Handmade, from India and Fair Trade, long before fair trade was the structured concept it is now.

The India Shop has four shops, in Marlborough, Salisbury, Wantage and now Newbury. Customers can also buy online at www.theindiashop.co.uk, keep up to date with the company on Facebook : The India Shop and on Twitter: @theindiashop.

www.theindiashop.co.uk

The India Shop Christmas warehouse sale: 15 & 16 October

admin — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:10:42 +0000

The India Shop Christmas warehouse sale: 15 & 16 October

Marlborough-based The India Shop will welcome visitors to its Honeystreet warehouse on 15 & 16 October for Christmas gifts, furniture and, for the first time rugs and soft furnishings. 10% discount on furniture, 20% on woollen rugs and huge savings on Christmas gifts in a specially themed Indian Market. The company is planning a fantastic family day out with free entry and refreshments available.

The India Shop’s Honey Street warehouse holds hundreds of pieces of hand-made Indian furniture, each one unique and made out of reclaimed timber, or wood from sustainable sources, alongside a large range of gifts, rugs, cushions, throws and covers.

The sale supports The India Shop’s fair trade commitment to rural employment across India through championing traditional crafts and skills. The company’s products have three main qualities: Handmade, fair trade and well-made.

Over the last 24 years The India Shop, which also sells on-line (www.theindiashop.co.uk) and from its three shops in Marlborough, Salisbury and Wantage has built an economic lifeline for artisans in metalwork, jewellery, cotton and leather as well as furniture.

Over the two-day sale, visitors can wonder around the three warehouses located in the pretty hamlet of Honey Street close to Marlborough, where Indian furniture, rugs and soft furnishings are displayed. They can also purchase discounted end-of-line gift bargains ideal for Christmas in a themed Indian Christmas Market.

Company director Anne Wyles, said: “We trade with family firms and co-operatives across Indian and it’s essential to maintain the flow of goods out of Indian and into Europe to aid continuous employment. A twice-yearly sale of large goods at Honey Street helps – and customers benefit from warehouse prices and access to a wide range of stock.”

All Indian workers involved in making and packing India Shop products are treated with respect and paid fair wages. No child is exploited and goods and production techniques are environmentally friendly. Paying artisans fair wages encourages the production of higher quality products, a fact which is, in The India Shop’s view, fundamental to any business.

The trade arm of The India Shop, New Overseas Traders, supplies hundreds of independent retailers across the country.

News Updates » Indian

The India Shop opens in Newbury

The India Shop Christmas warehouse sale: 15 & 16 October