Studio.co.uk
|
Studio logo | |
| subsidiary | |
| Industry |
Mail order Retail |
| Founded |
1962 (1962 as Studio Cards & Gifts) Studio website founded 2002 |
| Headquarters |
Hyde, Cheshire, England |
Area served | UK |
| Products |
Clothing Electronics Furniture Homeware Jewellery Christmas Gifts |
| Parent | Findel plc |
| Website |
www |
Studio (also known as Studio.co.uk) is part of a multi-brand retailing company in the United Kingdom, which specialises in home shopping services.[1] Based in Accrington in Lancashire, Studio (formerly known as Studio Cards and Gifts) produces 100 different publications, and mails over 76 million catalogues in a calendar year. Their customer base of 1.3 million people is geographically spread across the UK, with the highest concentration of customers residing in city areas. 90% of Studio’s customer base is female.
Due to Studio’s Autumn Winter catalogue being their biggest publication of the year and containing a high proportion of Christmas products, much of the company’s business is undertaken in the final third of the year.
Studio offers a choice of payment methods; customers can choose to pay up front with a credit or debit card, or take advantage of Studio’s credit facilities. Studio is a trading name of Express Gifts Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for consumer credit and general insurance.
Studio is owned by Findel plc Findel plc.;[2] a British home shopping company based in Cheshire.
History
Founded in Preston in 1962,[3] Studio originally specialised in paper products, such as greetings cards, and sold them through a mail order catalogue. Over time, the company expanded, and in 1974 it bought its sister company, now known as Ace, selling a similar product range to that of Studio.
In 2003, Studio extended its product range even further by introducing a discounted clothing and footwear range, featuring top brands such as Adidas, Ben Sherman, Fred Perry, Reebok and Timberland.
To develop its online presence and give customers an alternative way to shop with the company, Studio launched the online version of its catalogue in 2010: Studio.co.uk. In recent years, the Studio website has seen huge growth, and the product range far exceeds that of the paper catalogues. As well as being able to shop through the standard desktop site, customers can shop on fully optimised mobile and tablet sites. 60% of Studio’s customers now choose to shop on mobile and tablet devices.
Studio’s brand portfolio currently has more household names than ever before, including EA7, The North Face and Superdry in their fashion range, and Kylie Minogue and Kirstie Allsopp in their designer bedding selection. What’s more, the website and catalogues also feature a range of established own-name Studio brands, including ‘EGL’ home electricals, and ‘Studio Home’ bedding.
Product Range
Studio is commonly known for its vast range of Christmas products, including cards, trees, gifts, lighting and more. However, they stock a large selection of other products too, such as homeware, electricals, toys, top-branded clothing, jewellery, garden and outdoor items and more, all of which can be shopped throughout the year. In total, Studio stocks over 60,000 products, with 35,000 in the catalogues and an extra 25,000 on the Studio website.
Personalisation Facilities
Studio has direct access to one of the largest personalisation plants supplying direct to the consumer in the UK where products from cutlery to greetings cards and football kits to children’s nightwear are personalised to the customer’s requirements: Over 3.2 million pieces in total each year.[4] This service is offered free of charge and is carried out in Studio’s in-house facilities, which are un-matched in UK retail.[5] Products which can be personalised include wedding gifts, glass, jewellery, novelty gifts, alcohol sets and pyjamas.
Publications
Studio produces 100 catalogues per year, the biggest and most popular being the Christmas Book (also referred to as the Autumn Winter Book). This book launches in August and is heavily orientated towards Christmas, toys, and gifts. The next 2 largest publications are the Spring Catalogue and the mid-year Christmas Gifts Catalogue, which launch in January and May respectively. The Spring Catalogue is heavily focused towards garden and outdoor products, while the Christmas Gifts Catalogue offers a selection of early Christmas items, plus a range of clothing, electricals and more.
Studio release many smaller catalogues / publications throughout the year to target seasonal events or to provide a more concentrated, discount orientated selection of products from one of the larger catalogues. For instance, the Holiday Shop targets people going away for the summer, while the Hot Buys leaflets feature a selection of the best products from the main catalogues. Clothing catalogues called Factory Outlet are also published, featuring seasonal trends and branded fashion, all these items and more are also available online.
References
- ↑ "What they sell". Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- ↑ Findel plc
- ↑ "Studio about us". Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- ↑ "Personalisation". Retrieved 13 September 2013.
- ↑ "Personalisation Facilities". Retrieved 12 September 2013.