SELLING LINGERIE TO THE WELL-ENDOWED
28 April 2000
SELLING LINGERIE TO THE WELL-ENDOWED
A new venture to help underpin
the future of a family farm
in Yorks is gaining plenty of
support from customers at
home and abroad.
Tessa Gates talked to
Sally Robinson
about how the business
is measuring up
ITS just about the last thing you expect to find in a converted store and tool shed on farm on the North Yorks Moors – a business selling bras. But there is nothing rustic about Ample Bosom, which sells bras on-line and through a conventional catalogue, to customers worldwide.
"The name took a lot of courage to go with," says Sally Robinson. "Fortunately my husband is not easily embarrassed and has really backed me with this business. However, my sons say there is no way they will let me have it written on the car…"
Sally and her husband John have two sons and farm 80ha (200 acres) in the National Park at Old Byland, near Helmsley, York. The mixed farm has 40 beef cattle, a few pigs reared on contract, 70 ewes and grows 38ha (95 acres) of cereals. A couple of hundred store lambs are bought in each year to fatten on roots. Three rooms in the farmhouse and three holiday cottages are let to tourists keen to see nearby Rivaulx Abbey and the other attractions of the area. When Johns father died and a neighbour wanted to buy the farm, the couple were tempted to sell up and move to Scotland
* Mail order
"John was thinking about it and I was wondering what I was going to do up there. I decided it had to be mail order and something small enough to get through a letter box. I thought about jewellery, but when a friend couldnt get a nice bra for her wedding in her size I decided on bras," explains Sally. She did some market research through Business Link to find out the potential size of the market and some bra manufacturers to contact.
"The potential market was 250m. I dont need a big chunk of that, 25,000 will do," says Sally and thoughts of Scotland disappeared as she contacted 40 bra wholesalers. "Only six would sell to us to start with."
But that was enough for her to set up a web-site and fill her first catalogue specialising in beautiful bras by leading manufacturers in sizes from 32B to 50F. "We have 1500 items in our catalogue and our customers average spend is £40.
"I am getting to be to bras what McDonalds is to beefburgers," says Sally, delightedly.
Twenty five per cent of customers make contact through the internet. Thursdays are a good day for such orders, Tuesdays are quiet and 9pm is the peak time for people to log on to her web-site. Orders come from all round the world, including China, while many of her customers are on British forces bases abroad.
* Personal service
But despite the wonders of technology, people still like personal service and telephone orders are taken by Claire Gibson and Carol Graham who can give help and advice. "With the big boys the customer is just a number, we want to be known for customer service," says Sally.
With a second catalogue out and the closely monitored orders looking encouraging, Sally is optimistic for the future of Ample Bosom.
"Its too early yet to make a profit but there are plenty of customers out there and new lines to sell them. We have one son who wants to farm so if we could make a living from bras, he could do that here."
Inquiries: Telephone (01439-798388) www.bras-online.co.uk or www.amplebosom.com
Lingerie in a wide range of sizes is keeping Sally Robinson (below left) on-line for success with the business she runs from a farm on the Yorks Moors.
SELLING LINGERIE TO THE WELL-ENDOWED
ITS just about the last thing you expect to find in a converted store and tool shed on farm on the North Yorks Moors – a business selling bras. But there is nothing rustic about Ample Bosom, which sells bras on-line and through a conventional catalogue, to customers worldwide.
"The name took a lot of courage to go with," says Sally Robinson. "Fortunately my husband is not easily embarrassed and has really backed me with this business. However, my sons say there is no way they will let me have it written on the car…"
Sally and her husband John have two sons and farm 80ha (200 acres) in the National Park at Old Byland, near Helmsley, York. The mixed farm has 40 beef cattle, a few pigs reared on contract, 70 ewes and grows 38ha (95 acres) of cereals. A couple of hundred store lambs are bought in each year to fatten on roots. Three rooms in the farmhouse and three holiday cottages are let to tourists keen to see nearby Rivaulx Abbey and the other attractions of the area. When Johns father died and a neighbour wanted to buy the farm, the couple were tempted to sell up and move to Scotland
* Mail order
"John was thinking about it and I was wondering what I was going to do up there. I decided it had to be mail order and something small enough to get through a letter box. I thought about jewellery, but when a friend couldnt get a nice bra for her wedding in her size I decided on bras," explains Sally. She did some market research through Business Link to find out the potential size of the market and some bra manufacturers to contact.
"The potential market was 250m. I dont need a big chunk of that, 25,000 will do," says Sally and thoughts of Scotland disappeared as she contacted 40 bra wholesalers. "Only six would sell to us to start with."
But that was enough for her to set up a web-site and fill her first catalogue specialising in beautiful bras by leading manufacturers in sizes from 32B to 50F. "We have 1500 items in our catalogue and our customers average spend is £40.
"I am getting to be to bras what McDonalds is to beefburgers," says Sally, delightedly.
Twenty five per cent of customers make contact through the internet. Thursdays are a good day for such orders, Tuesdays are quiet and 9pm is the peak time for people to log on to her web-site. Orders come from all round the world, including China, while many of her customers are on British forces bases abroad.
* Personal service
But despite the wonders of technology, people still like personal service and telephone orders are taken by Claire Gibson and Carol Graham who can give help and advice. "With the big boys the customer is just a number, we want to be known for customer service," says Sally.
With a second catalogue out and the closely monitored orders looking encouraging, Sally is optimistic for the future of Ample Bosom.
"Its too early yet to make a profit but there are plenty of customers out there and new lines to sell them. We have one son who wants to farm so if we could make a living from bras, he could do that here."
Inquiries: Telephone (01439-798388) www.bras-online.co.uk or www.amplebosom.com
A new venture to help underpin
the future of a family farm
in Yorks is gaining plenty of
support from customers at
home and abroad.
Tessa Gates talked to
Sally Robinson
about how the business
is measuring up
Lingerie in a wide range of sizes is keeping Sally Robinson (below left) on-line for success with the business she runs from a farm on the Yorks Moors.