We were recently featured in the Gloucestershire Echo Weekend magazine. Our online store has garnered huge interest from customers and press alike. Read the article below!
SHOES have become a bit of an obsession for two generations of the Scarrott family. Keith Scarrott, who has a shop named after him in the Promenade in Cheltenham, started his empire 35 years ago and now his daughter, Sophie, has taken over the business, importing cutting edge and comfortable footwear from Italy and Spain .
“When we originally started off we were in Albion Street , then we had a shop on the Promenade and another in Montpellier ,” says Sophie, 33.
“My dad was always into fashion and my mum is very fashionable too. It was something he did from an early age.”
In the Sixties and Seventies, Keith worked for a trendy shoe shop in Cheltenham before setting up on his own.
It was only a matter of time before Sophie followed in her father’s footsteps.
When she left university she headed to Spain to work as an agent for the shoe factories which her dad used and helped to design the collection for the UK .
She then went on to work in London for a large footwear company which made all the shoes for Marks & Spencer, French Connection and Lulu Guinness.
“I always did trade shows and used to go with dad to do the buying in Italy and Spain ,” Sophie says.
“When he said he would like to retire and the opportunity came up to come back to Cheltenham and take over the business it was too good to miss.”
Sophie is keen to keep her father’s vision going while driving the business forward.
Soon after taking over she opened up another store in Worcester and has just launched a new website – www.keithscarrott.co.uk – so she can attract new customers from all over the world.
“I would like to have more stores at some point,” she says.
“ Worcester was a good place to open because it’s far enough away to attract a different client base but near enough for me to get to.
“It is hard in a recession and basically you have to work even harder to make sure you have a good collection all the time.
“So many stores out there are doing the same thing but we’re a family firm which makes sure we have something which no one else has.”
Some of Keith Scarrott’s bestsellers include its ‘classics’ range of shoes which are made exclusively for them by a factory in Venice which people come back for year after year.
They also have all the latest trends including this season’s must-have clogs, cone heel pumps in summer colours such as cream, purple and pink, a crossover suede wedge platform sandal and gladiator sandals.
“Shoes are very tactile and people like to try them on, but you have to move your business along and have a presence on the web too,” Sophie explains.
“Our huge selling point is that we offer good customer service and everyone who uses the website will get this as well.
“We give people style tips and suggestions of what you can wear the shoes with. You’d get that in the shop and we didn’t want buying from the website to feel soulless.
“We’ve also got a blog so people know exactly what’s going on in the shop.”
Since the site launched two weeks ago, Sophie’s already had enquiries from Ireland and as far afield as Australia .
“People don’t always want to buy from the website but we’ve already had calls from people to say they’ve seen something and they’ll be coming over and bringing their sister and girlfriends for the day,” says Sophie.
“The two just work hand in hand.”
Sophie is offering WEEKEND readers an exclusive 10 per cent off their first purchase from the website until May 31.
Simply log on to www.keithscarrott.co.uk and input the code KS001.
Kitten Heel Toe Loop Jewel Sandal £139.95 at keithscarrott.co.uk
Walk down the High Street, open up Vogue, watch TV or visit celebrity gossip blogs and you'll have undoubtedly noticed one type of footwear style prevails all season, every season. And it's a classic style in it's own inimitable way; a classic of the 21st century's making.
