From the digital to the physical

The Wool Room started out as an online business and developed a strong fanbase at county shows, persuading its backers to open four branches across the North.

The company opened stores in traditional market towns of Morpeth and Stamford last summer and in November moved into Yorkshire with a store in Northallerton, closely followed by a store in Harrogate.

Chris Tattersall, managing director, told the Yorkshire Post why the company made the seemingly counter-intuitive move from digital to physical.

He said: “Although we have been trading online, we have also been targeting various, fairly affluent consumer shows like the Great Yorkshire Show.

“The feedback we got from customers was fantastic in terms of both take-up and also repeat custom coming back the following year.

“We knew that we had to get a retail format to really explain and let the customer try, see, touch and feel the product.”

The Wool Room sells wool duvets, mattress toppers, throws, cushions and baby bedding.

It grew out of wool trader H Dawson’s online business. Jo Dawson, managing director at the historic Bradford firm, is the majority shareholder and has invested a significant six-figure sum in the venture.

Mr Tattersall said online shopping is great for people who have already decided what they want to buy, but retail stores give the company the chance to showcase the whole product category and test new products. He said: “I am a big believer in bricks and clicks – the two work hand in hand.

“You give people the opportunity to touch and feel and get over the feeling that wool is itchy and scratchy which is a big perception, but order from the comfort of their own armchair.

“Customers can do the research online and then come into the store to try and touch and feel the products as well.”

He said good deals can be found on the high street, but prime pitches are still oversubcribed. The Wool Room is due to open in Edinburgh in March. Its fifth store will be at Dobbies’ flagship garden centre.

The business is set to turn over £1m in the year to August 2013. It has created 24 jobs.

“We are looking to test what we have got and ensure that we can maximise the return from the stores and learn about the different formats in different environments,” said Mr Tattersall, when asked about his future plans.

“It’s understanding where can we trade best and what format of merchandise in store works best.

“Once we have understood these we would love to expand further.”

The Harrogate store, in Cambridge Street, is estimated to turn over £300,000 this year. The Northallerton high street store is forecasting £275,000.

Mr Tattersall said consumers are increasingly interested in provenance, sustainability and supporting British business.

He said the nursery range is growing and he hopes to win over more young mothers to the benefits of wool.

“That generation has lost the sense of what’s interesting about wool and natural fibres, growing up with synthetic materials,” he added.

Mr Dawson is a passionate advocate of the benefits of wool.

He said: “It is a unique product, it lasts longer, it makes you sleep better and it is healthier.”

Mr Dawson added: “People have come up and said ‘you’ve changed my life – I can sleep properly’.

“That’s really exciting. The product we are selling can really add benefit to people’s lives.”

Research from Hull University found that sleeping on or under wool provides 25 per cent more deep sleep than other commonly used fillings.

Mr Tattersall said: “Wool is soft, comfortable and as it reacts to changes in body temperature, it is ideal for any climate.

“The Wool Room aims to source as many of its products from the United Kingdom as possible and uses British wool in as many of its products as is pract- ical.”

He said the bedding range, the driver for the business, is made from 100 per cent British wool and is machine washable.

The business works closely with The Campaign for Wool and aims to support the British Sheep Farming Industry.

Bedding plants the seeds of an idea

LIKE his business partner Jo Dawson, Chris Tattersall has roots in the textiles industry.

His family business, JH Birtwistle and Co Ltd owned nine cotton mills during its heyday in the early 20th century.

He worked at Osborne & Little, the fabric and wallpaper designer owned by the Chancellor George Osborne’s family.

Mr Tattersall moved into the bedding industry and worked for Reylon Beds.

He was managing director for three years, but lost his job following a merger and restructuring.

“I looked for new opportunities and then met up with Jo at an opportune moment at a trade show.

“He said he had a fantastic opportunity to really try and develop The Wool Room.

“I was looking for something different and thought it was fantastic.”

The 43-year-old moved the head office from Bradford to Rutland to benefit from a more central location.

Jo Dawson recalled a dinner party at which he was promoting the benefits of sleeping under wool. A guest replied: “That’s fabulous, but where can I get it?”

At the time, wool bedding products were harder to find, so he had the idea to start The Wool Room.