Uploaded by Entrepreneurs' Forum
JoJo Maman Bébé has grown from a £30,000 turnover business 17 years ago to £26m today, selling its in-house designed range for mothers-to-be and babies via a 200 page bi-annual mail order catalogue, on-line and, following customer demand, through 32 high street stores.
“We are a truly multi-channel retailer and as such getting the brand identity across all channels in a cohesive manner is vital,” explained its energetic founder Laura Tenison.
Customers have a short life-span, typically from pregnancy to pre-school, so the business focuses on recruiting and retaining them by offering high quality products and customer service.
The business, which is self-financing, continues to grow, and Laura headed off after the conference to check out potential new stores in the North East.
She said having a tight grip on cashflow forecasts and understanding when there is money in the business to expand means growth can continue even in a downturn.
“We have found our format and that is county towns close to where our customers are. I want our customers to be able to walk their baby in a pram to our shops rather than having to get in the car and drive to an out of town shopping centre where there’s no fresh air,” she said.