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Wednesday 13 March 2013

Family Business marks 20th Year in Leeds’ Victoria Quarter




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