Family Business marks 20th Year in Leeds’ Victoria
Quarter
An independent family-run jewellery
business celebrates its 20th Anniversary in Leeds’ premier shopping
development, Victoria Quarter, this year.
Yorkshire Jewellery was opened in VQ’s
County Arcade by John McPherson in 1993, not long after the centre’s wholesale
refurbishment by The Prudential. Initially specialising in high quality
pre-owned diamond jewellery, over the intervening years the store has taken on
a select number of additional brands and extended their stock to include
new quality diamond, coloured stone and pearl jewellery.
“This was my first store in Leeds, having
previously had shops in Huddersfield, Cleckheaton and Dewsbury,” commented Mr
McPherson. “The tenant mix was very different when I first opened but as the
centre developed we adapted our ranges to suit.”
“I’m thrilled to be celebrating 20 years
in business, especially with so much turmoil in retail at the moment. I feel
that the family-run structure of the business has been a significant ingredient
in its longevity, with customers able to see the same people in the store every
time they visit. Good customer service and reliability are key to any
successful business, things we’ve always put a lot of store by.”
Mr McPherson runs the shop with his
sisters, Kay and Julia, along with his youngest daughter Laura. He is now in
the process of handing over the business to Laura as he approaches retirement.
Laura began working alongside her father
as a teenager and subsequently went on to attain a degree in Jewellery from the
University of Central Lancashire, where she studied for three years.
“I’ve always had a keen interest in
jewellery,” says Laura, “which developed even more when I started working in
the shop as a Saturday girl when I was 15. I really enjoy taking a prominent
role in the business now that my father is approaching retirement, and look
forward to developing my own ideas for the store in future.”
She added, “It’s been a central aim of
Yorkshire Jewellery to provide an alternative to the High Street chains by
offering unique, unusual and interesting jewellery, both old and new, and
that’s something we hope to continue with over the next 20 years.”
Victoria Quarter Centre Director, John
Bade, added, “Yorkshire Jewellery are one of our oldest tenants, having opened
in the early years of the scheme. It’s unquestionably a milestone for them to
be celebrating their 20th anniversary here this year, particularly
when many more prominent companies have not fared so well. While VQ is widely
known for its big-name brands, the independent stores are just as important to
the long term success of the centre. They add a unique point of difference and
contribute significantly to the overall appeal of VQ to shoppers.
I congratulate Yorkshire Jewellery on
reaching this noteworthy anniversary and look forward to them being part of VQ
for the next 20 years.”
To commemorate the occasion, Yorkshire
Jewellery are offering 20% discount on all sales over £200 throughout April in
their County Arcade store.
Yorkshire Jewellery
7 County Arcade
Tel: 0113-2428700