SME UK Enterprise Awards 2024/ 168 Best Fashion Boutique 2024 – South Lanarkshire Your Boutique 365 is an independent boutique nestled in the heart of the market town of Strathaven. With premium brands available in an inclusive range of sizes, this boutique holds a stellar reputation for offering tasteful womenswear products in a variety of styles. Here, we speak with Company Owner Donna Miller as her company is awarded its title in the UK Enterprise Awards 2024. In March 2023, Donna Miller took over Your Boutique 365, though the boutique itself was initially founded over a decade ago. Donna had no prior experience in the industry but knew that she wanted to bring to the market a stylish boutique that promotes inclusivity and quality products over fast fashion. “Having no experience of the world of fashion or retail has been a huge learning curve, as I still have my everyday job,” she tells us. “I have three lovely ladies who work in the boutique and serve our customers from Strathaven and beyond.” Your Boutique 365 places a heavy emphasis on delivering excellent service to its loyal clientele and has made efforts to ensure that the boutique is a welcoming and accessible environment to all. This includes keeping its products at price points that suit most budgets wherever possible, whilst making sure not to compromise on quality. “I want the boutique to be a warm and welcoming place for everyone, no matter age, shape or size, to pop in, say hello and browse at their leisure without feeling uncomfortable,” says Donna. “I understand that for some people, stepping into a boutique can be quite daunting. I want it to be a place where women support other women, and we build each other up to create a confident and feel-good culture so that when a customer walks out with their purchase, they look and feel a million dollars.” This dedication to fostering a positive culture is exactly what sets Your Boutique 365 apart from its competitors. Donna has ensured that her boutique is a part of its community, striving to make a connection with clients at every opportunity. Her team is always honest with clients, telling them what works and what does not. This approach builds a great level of trust between the team and their clients, who know that they will never be sold something that is not right for them. “I am fortunate to have a team that are all experienced in retail fashion,” Donna remarks. “For me, it’s all about honesty and reliability, being personable, warm, and welcoming to customers.” This commitment to its community extends beyond the scope of the boutique and into Your Boutique 365’s local community. The boutique supports the Kilbryde Hospice Charity and asks that customers make a small donation to the charity instead of paying for a bag. As well as this, Your Boutique 365 runs competitions to raise proceeds for charity, such as the Giant Chocolate Easter Bunny raffle. This further cements Donna and her team’s unwavering commitment to enhancing the lives of those around them, through both delivering excellent services and altruistic community initiatives. Of course, even strong relationships cannot mitigate common industry challenges, such as consumer behaviour being so strongly influenced by seasonality and weather. Buying habits are difficult to predict and can leave Donna worrying whether she has selected the right stock. But she is resolute in her journey and prefers to face challenges head on, not being afraid to admit that she has got it wrong and make the correct adjustments. While Donna is building her industry experience, she tells us that she pays close attention to the market and regularly researches seasonal trends. Through speaking to industry experts, wholesalers, suppliers, and attending UK fashion shows, Donna gains insights and ideas for unique brands and products to introduce. Since taking over Your Boutique 365, Donna has shifted the boutique’s focus from just offering fast fashion to include quality brands that last and offer larger sizes in the same gorgeous items as the smaller sizes. The latest brands introduced to the boutique includes Glasgowbased firm Marble Fashion, and Robell and I’Cona, a European brand specialising in casual and leisurewear. Moving forward, Your Boutique 365 will be placing an emphasis on building its online presence to increase its reach across the nation. “I’ve updated the website so that it has a more modern and cleaner feel, and we’re currently in the process of having an app developed with the aim to build and grow our online sales,” Donna tells us. “I also have my eye on some exciting new brands for the boutique that will be at the upcoming Harrogate Fashion Show, so watch this space!” Contact: Donna Miller Company: Your Boutique 365 Ltd Tel: 01357 529691 Email: info@yourboutique365 Web Address: www.yourboutique365.co.uk
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