Category: News

Hat-trick of stores for shopping centre

Caran D'Ache at Eagles Meadow. Pictured is Lucy Thomas.

When Colin Robinson was called upon to serve as relief manager of a men’s outfitter’s in Wrexham as a teenager he little dreamt that over 30 years later he would be opening his own shop in the town – selling women’s clothes.

But now, aged 50, he has become the latest tenant of a unit in the town’s Eagles Meadow centre, and is excited by the prospect.

The Caran d’Ache shop has opened its doors, and Colin and his partner Lisa Moxham who live in Kelsall, are determined to offer the same service as that which has helped establish their reputation at their three other premises in Birkenhead and Tarporley.

Eagles Meadow Manager Kevin Critchley was delighted to welcome another fashion store to the bustling shopping centre.

He said: “Caran D’Ache is the third new arrival at Eagles Meadow this year – on top of the seven new stores that opened here in 2011.

“We now have a burgeoning critical mass of fashion specialists in Wrexham which makes us the perfect destination for fashionistas of all ages and underlines our credentials as the shopping capital of North Wales.”

Originally from Connah’s Quay, Colin started work at the Harry Fenton men’s outfitters in Wrexham and was even relief manager for a short while at the age of 17.

In 1982 he eventually opened his own Caran d’Ache men’s shop in the Grange Precinct in Birkenhead and this October it celebrates its 30th anniversary there.

Ten years ago he opened his first women’s shop in Tarporley and three years later the business expanded when he opened a second shop nearby in the same village.

He and Lisa made a deliberate decision to switch the shops’ focus from teenagers and women in their early 20s to “Yummy Mummies”.

“They want more comfortable, good quality clothes, and we pride ourselves on the service and advice we provide, which we shall continue in the Wrexham shop,” said Lisa.

“There are not many independent boutiques around these days and we are confident we provide a shopping experience which our customers appreciate. We are also confident in our stock.”

They took the step to open in Wrexham because a growing number of their Tarporley customers came from North Wales.

“They kept telling us there was nothing comparable in the area, so we started looking for premises and it’s a good time to come here because there’s a real buzz about the town at the moment,” said Colin.

“We started looking for somewhere about six months ago but decided not to go into the town centre,” he said.

“This unit in Eagles Meadow is ideal. It’s the right size and, being the first one people see after coming over the footbridge from the town, is in a brilliant location. It’s also useful being right opposite Starbucks where so many women pop in for coffee.”

The three jobs created in Wrexham, which takes their total workforce to 12, were not advertised but the staff were recruited by word of mouth.

Having announced the opening date for the new premises, however, left Colin chasing a deadline, with only six days to refit the unit.

Monday June 11th, 2012

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Dream comes true for new store boss

EAGLES MEADOW MARKS & SPENCERS New Manager Carole Rigby.

Carole Rigby managed seven large department stores without ever applying for a job.

She’s been responsible for up to 140 staff, taken charge of a £1m shop refurbishment and managed one of British Home Stores’ top 10 UK home stores – but never had a job interview.

That changed when she decided to pursue her dream job – to work for Marks and Spencer – and at 36, Carole now finds herself manager of the company’s store in the Eagles Meadow shopping centre at Wrexham.

“I just love retailing,” said Carole.

Born in St.Helens, Carole started working part-time at the local Safeway store when she was 16 while she successfully completed her A-levels.

“I had ambitions to go to university but when I got promoted I started working full-time at Safeway when I was 18 and worked my way up through the ranks to become manager about six years later,” she said.

She made the switch to Bhs when she became assistant store manager at their huge Liverpool store and returned to St.Helens as Bhs store manager.

She was there only six months before taking over a larger Bhs store at Telford where she stayed about three years and oversaw its £1m refurbishment.

Carole was then promoted to manage the Bhs store at Broughton Retail Park in Flintshire which is regarded as one of the company’s top 10 home stores.

When Bhs Chief Executive Tony Brown decided to leave the company and move across to the Beales department store chain he wanted to take tried and trusted personnel with him and asked Carole.

“I’d worked with Tony Brown previously and he’s an amazing person so I left Bhs and went to work for Beales first at Southport but then managing their flagship store at Bournemouth.

“Six months later I made the biggest career decision of my life. Up to then I had never done a job interview in my life. I had always moved with managers who knew me and wanted me to work for them.

“I did a lot of research. I had always wanted to work for M&S and all their values and beliefs make them such an outstanding company. I was not going to jump ship lightly and this was the only job I had ever applied for.

“I just sent my CV in to the company and was asked to attend an interview and got the job,” she said.

“I was given 12 weeks in depth training. The training programme is absolutely world-class. This company lives and breathes its values and beliefs, not like some company’s who just hang them on a wall.

“You also get to work with amazing staff who actually want to be here and working for the company. It’s a joy to come into work every day,” said Carole who is in charge of 96 staff at Wrexham.

Along the way Carole has also found time to meet and fall in love with soon-to-be husband Mark Davies. He’s 41 and an engineer working for Airbus at Broughton and Carole and Mark will be marrying on July 27. What spare time they get they like to go out on Mark’s motorcycle.

Carole thinks the Eagles Meadow centre is “brilliant”. She said: “It’s a lovely set up with the cinema and the restaurant. The parking facilities are amazing too. All new things take time to bed in but I’m sure it’s going to be a huge success.”

Eagles Centre Manager Kevin Critchley was delighted to welcome Carole to the centre.

He said: “Carole’s impressive track record and the fantastic ethos of M and S is a winning combination.”

Monday June 11th, 2012

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Full steam ahead for Dot’s new bistro

WREXHAM GENERAL DOT TO DOT CAFE OPENENING. Pictured is Gill and Mario Kreft with Dot Crimes and Lesley Griffiths AM.

A cafe owner is back on track after overcoming the nightmare of being made redundant.

Dorothy Crimes, 63, has launched a new bistro, Dot2Dot, on Platform 1 at Wrexham General Station.

It was officially opened by Wrexham AM Lesley Griffiths who was joined by a host of Dot’s loyal customers at the celebration.

Although the bistro is based at the station, it is also open to non train users.

Dot joined Wrexham and Shropshire Railway in 2008 as a Senior Steward and was then promoted to Catering Supervisor.

She ran the small platform cafe and was responsible for keeping the trains stocked with food and drink.

But everything came to a crashing halt in February last year when Wrexham and Shropshire Railway made Dot and more than 50 other people redundant.

A year after taking over the lease on the cafe herself, Dot has now moved into bigger premises.

She recalled: “Being made redundant was horrendous for all of us, there were 56 of us in the company.

“We were told on the Tuesday night that we were being made redundant and that we were finishing on the Friday.

“When I got my redundancy, I asked about taking on the cafe – there were about 10 people who wanted it but I was lucky enough to get chosen.  I reopened the cafe in March last year.

“I have always wanted to extend into the bigger premises and it’s taken a year to get the leases sorted. The room we’re in now used to be my stock room.

“We’re going to carry on with the opening hours from 6am to 5pm and on a Saturday, from 8am until 3pm – and we’re going to look into extending the hours.

“We’re also going to be branching out to do children’s parties, we’re available for meetings and we’ll open up of an evening – anything and everything.

“We do a full range of meals and we’re launching our new range of gourmet burgers, they’re the big burgers with all the different fillings.

“You don’t have to be catching a train to come here – we’ve now got a second door direct to the car park so you don’t have to come through the station.

“This is very exciting and I wouldn’t have done it without the fantastic support I’ve had from the family.

“Steve my husband has been one of my biggest supporters and because he’s an accountant he’s been able to give me lots of practical advice.

“We have five members of staff and they have been brilliant – they’ve all been with me since October last year.

“They’re here, they’re trained and they’re a cracking team. We’re also lucky that we have a lot of regular customers who are great.”

Among the regular customers is local AM Lesley Griffiths who was delighted to officially open the new bistro.

She said: “I opened the original cafe three years ago and then Dot went on her own and she’s done a fantastic job. Everybody talks about Dot2Dot.

“It’s great that she’s been able to expand and I am sure she will go from strength to strength.

“Dot and her family have worked really hard to get this place ready. I always call in for my cup of tea and bacon sandwich or sausage roll when I’m on my way  to Cardiff.

“It’s great to have this facility because it is an important service. It’s not just for train users – I often come here during the day and people pop in for a coffee before going into town to do their shopping.

“She’s extremely popular, she’s very bubbly and always makes you feel welcome and that you’re the centre of the universe.”

Fellow customer Mario Kreft, the proprietor of the Wrexham-based care organisation, Pendine Park, is another big fan.

He said: “Dot is a very special person. When you’re used to coming here to catch a train at 6am on a freezing cold morning, you get a really warm smile and a steaming hot cup of tea. What could be better?

“I just love Small and Medium Enterprises and Dot is meeting a community need. She’s got a huge personality and we wish her all the best in the future.”

Monday June 11th, 2012

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Jazz fans thrilled as festival returns

Summer Night Jazz at Plas Newydd on Anglesey . Pictured is Gwyn Evans and Ken grayson from Peninsula Windows.

It’s been hailed as the jazz festival in the most beautiful setting in the UK.

Organisers have revealed that Summer Night Jazz is returning to Plas Newydd on Anglesey on
July 7 and 8.

The home of Lord and Lady Anglesey, now a National Trust property, looks across the Menai Strait towards the breath-taking view of Snowdonia.

Topping the bill this year is jazz sensation Anthony Strong who will be following in the footsteps of all-time greats like Humphrey Lyttleton and Acker Bilk.

Strong’s growing fan base includes Rod Steward, Michael Parkinson and Jamie Cullum who are all raving about the London-based singer who’s been compared to Michael Bublé.

A crowd-pleasing local Brazilian Latin band called Banda Bacana will be generating a carnival atmosphere and  there will also be a New Orleans-style jazz ensemble made up of members of Beaumaris Brass Band.

After an absence of seven years, the festival was revived last year and was a big hit with the thousands of jazz lovers who flocked there.

The comeback was the brainchild of Gwyn Evans, a peripatetic music teacher with Gwasanaeth Ysgolion William Mathias  (William Mathias Schools’ Service) whose many other hats include that of Musical Director of the multi-award winning Beaumaris Brass Band.

Gwyn, who also plays the trumpet and sings, will also be performing with his own band, Dr Jazz.

The event is again being sponsored this year by Gaerwen-based home improvements specialists, Peninsula.

National Trust spokesman Alun Pritchard said: “With the massive Jubilee Strait Party here on  June 5 as well as this stunning jazz festival , Plas Newydd is clearly becoming the top venue for great outdoor events this Summer.”

Gwyn said: “Many years ago the National Trust staged a jazz event here for more than 10 years and all the jazz greats like Humphrey Lyttleton, Kenny Ball and Acker Bilk came here and performed.

“The band I play for, Dr Jazz, supported all those bands but unfortunately the event petered out and there was a gap of seven or eight years.

“There were so many people who asked about reviving the festival that  it came back by popular demand.

“I decided to take the plunge and go for it – and last year’s event was a huge success.

“I can’t think that there is a setting to compare with this in the whole of the UK.

“There will be a lovely atmosphere and people can bring their picnic hampers and champagne while they’re chilling out to some cool jazz.

“There’s a real family feel to the event, it’s not about hard core jazz – and hopefully we’ve got the chemistry right again this year.

“What we’re trying to do is to celebrate the island of Anglesey, the island is full of talented youngsters.

“As well as the jazz night on the Saturday night, on the Sunday we have a celebration of youth so all the youth groups, bands, choirs and orchestras will be taking part.

“We will also be having a local farmers’ market to sell local produce and we will also have local beers and local ice creams.

“To have a local firm like Peninsula sponsoring us is brilliant. They are so supportive to the arts on the island, especially music. I can’t thank them enough really.

Peninsula Managing Director Ken Grayson explained: “We  saw Summer Night Jazz as an opportunity to give something back to our local community.

“It’s a good way of getting our name associated with a fantastic cultural event that’s beneficial to the area. It just seemed a win-win for everybody.

“The setting is perfect – with sea, mountains and a beautiful stately home with a natural amphitheatre overlooking the Menai Strait.

“Last year’s inaugural event was brilliant and we’re hoping that everybody who came will return and bring more people with them.

“This year we’re getting more involved in organising the event – as well as our financial input we’re giving our time and enthusiasm.”

For more information about Summer Night Jazz and how to book tickets go to www.plasnewyddjazz.com

Monday June 11th, 2012

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