Issue 7 2020

Jan20287 Dress to Impress Fancy dress is big business, with people enjoying the opportunity to go out and have fun with their friends. As an industry, it’s recession-proof. As a market, it’s a hit. The team at Smiffys have been a mainstay of the sector since 1894, but this once-wigmakers has grown into a major success. Recognised as Best Dress Up & Party Wear Supplier – UK in Corporate Vision’s eCommerce and Online Retail Awards 2019, we look at the firm to see how it is adapting to the world of tomorrow. Gainsborough is an unlikely home for Smiffys, but this Lincolnshire town acts as the hub of an international operation. Drawing together years of expertise, passed down the family line, the team at Smiffys have over a century of heritage in dressing up. Enabling people to dress up and have fun has always been at the heart of the business. It’s a way of living out childhood dreams and fantasies, which is an approach that never dates and transcends age barriers. While the business has long been a success, the transformation that saw it become a name on the international stage came in 2001. The team committed to expanding its range of stock, a gamble which paid off in no small part due to millennium parties and was able to take on more opportunities as they arose. The result is a firm that has plenty of experience in the fancy dress market, and has quickly caught up on the business acumen needed to make a success across different locations. From rolling the dice to buying more stock, the firm has grown to a place where it is able to plan for the future and whatever that might entail. This can be most clearly seen in the way in which Smiffys has approached Brexit. From the announcement of the referendum, the team put plans in place to establish a new Dutch limited company in 2015 to sit alongside their current UK business. This forward-thinking decision has been key to protecting the revenue that is received through trading in Europe, avoiding the tricky costs involved in import duty and corporation tax. It also means that the potential challenges of customs delays that many businesses will now face have been negated entirely. Of course, this is not to say that the UK is not a key part of the business moving forward and the team plan to continue having warehouses and offices in the country. Key to the firm’s success has been its approach to people both inside and outside of the company. At Smiffys, a long heritage as a family business is something to be embraced as opposed to shunned. The chairman of the firm is father of the director, with other siblings playing equally key roles throughout the business. The team enjoy working at Smiffys, with a low turnover rate and employees often rising through the ranks to new levels of success. With such a strong attitude travelling from the top-down, it’s easy for clients to work with this team on their projects because they have developed a real connection. Smiffys’ success comes from these strong relationships, which seem set to continue for the foreseeable future. The passion that is evident from every discussion with team members builds a great deal of trust and goodwill. As Smiffys moves forward into an exciting era of international operation, it continues to be guided by a sense of fun. Decisions are made not only for the bottom line, but to ensure that all parties on all sides are happy. It’s an approach that has allowed the team to take a great deal of pride in their work, which continues to be exceptional at every level. Company: Smiffys Web Address: www.smiffys.com Issue 7 2020 33 From rolling the dice to buying more stock, the firm has grown to a place where it is able to plan for the future and whatever that might entail.