Small Business Saturday Blog

Keeping Up With The Tylers: How To Move With The Times

Monday, October 08 at 18:21

A family business dating back almost 100 years, Tylers Department Store & Café is more than just one of Loughborough’s best local businesses. Its history is steeped into the town, but it is also a great example of how heritage businesses can move with the times.Helen Tyler manages the store’s social media, website and marketing – a position that would be alien to her grandfather and great uncle, who started the business in 1922.“It started out as a small hardware store and it wasn’t until the 1970s that the conversion into a shopping centre began. In 1922 the shop was one property, but it grew by purchasing neighbouring premises,” Helen says, adding that it is more than store size that has grown:“Our product range and services have evolved immensely through the years; from lawnmowers to furniture, fashion and fine jewellery; from opening our own Tylers Café to becoming a certified Pandora retailer.”Despite this growth, Helen stresses that Tylers very much remains a small business. Currently owned and operated by third generation Tylers; Mike, Steve and Mat, the family employs around 30 staff. Helen says that for so many who have walked through the doors in the last century, a job at Tylers has been a career.“A local sent us a picture of the shop in the 1970s and said his uncle had worked at Tylers from aged 15 until he was 65! We currently have a loyal employee who has been with us for 40 years! Tylers staff are like family.”
The affection Helen and the rest of the Tyler family hold for their employees and customers is reciprocated by the community. Helen says that as the winter months approach, it is often commented that it isn’t Christmas in Loughborough until Tylers’ decorations are up.This mutual respect has been vital in securing the company’s stability. “We can’t compete with large department stores or online retailers and we don’t try to,” Helen explains. “What we do is find unique products that larger stores would not have, which encourages people to shop with us.“We also ensure first class customer service – literally going the extra mile by delivering products to our customers if they can’t collect them themselves. This customer care is what separates small businesses from large and is so important for their survival.”The way small businesses go above and beyond for their customers is one of the criteria for nominees in the annual Small Biz 100, of which Tylers Department Store & Café is a part this year: “I discovered the amazing Small Business Saturday campaign and Amex’s Shop Small initiative to encourage people to support their local independents, when I lived for some time in the States,” Helen explains as to why Tylers applied. “The Small Biz 100 is another great opportunity that shines a spotlight on those businesses and show that despite its struggles, the British high street is still vibrant and thriving.”The limelight will be on one of the elders of the 2018 Small Biz 100 cohort on November 12th. Tylers will be offering a number of raffle prizes on the day, along with a 10 per cent storewide discount as part of the official countdown to Small Business Saturday on December 1st - supported by American Express.With not just the Small Biz 100, but a 100th birthday to celebrate in four years’ time, Tylers is a shining example of how a small business can adapt to the changing nature of the high street and re-invent itself. Here’s to the next 100 years!

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