Why we won’t have any more sales at Abrahams…
When JAC and I took on the ownership of Abrahams back in 2015 neither of us had much in the way of retail experience. We were guided by and followed the practices of the previous owners. This included having an ‘End of Season Sale’ twice a year where most of the current & previous seasons remaining clothing stock was heavily reduced by at least 50%.
The ‘Abrahams Sale’ was legendary as customers on the mailing list waited with eager anticipation for their sale invitations to land on their door mats. I was one of these lucky individuals who managed to secure a fabulous ivory wool coat from Aquascutum (amongst other incredible bargains) at a fraction of its original price!
We continued to offer wonderful discounts on our stock over several seasons, but we realised something wasn’t quite right and we began to ask ourselves a few questions… “Why were we selling stock at full price for several months then reducing the price by at least 30% during a sale”? “Why would we then sell very similar styles at full price once again, a few weeks later at the start of the next season”?
It was simply crazy!
Nearly all the brands that we stock such as Barbour, Brax, St James, OUI, Eterna and ERIBÉ produce very similar styles each season as they are timeless designs that never go out of ‘Fashion’. Of course, the colours will change as will lengths and fabrics, but they are fundamentally the same. We know that none of our labels are ‘Fast Fashion’ names, in fact we make a concerted effort to work only with brands that show sustainable credentials and are ethically minded in respect to people, environment and animals.
Now more than ever, we should all be questioning what and how much clothing we buy, where it has come from and how it was made. We need to buy fewer clothes, of good design and quality that stand the test of time, care for them and repair them if necessary.
I inherited my mother’s love of beautiful clothes. She had a lot (probably far too many), but she always chose well and she did wear them all! Luckily for me she didn’t throw many away and I still wear many of her classic coats & cashmere sweaters. Some I have now passed on to my daughters who also appreciate her wonderful style.
Sometimes, we do get it wrong and misjudge our buying by ordering too little, too much or the wrong things. If we get a build up of stock, we will offer items at a greatly reduced price to clear our storeroom. This type of discounting we can justify, so do watch out for notices on our social media pages announcing our occasional ‘Clearance Last Chance’ events.
We hope that this explanation of our ethos strikes a chord with you too.
Best wishes
Josie, JAC & the Abrahams team XX