Trading on a reputation for quality

Lincoln Christmas Market is one of the biggest events in many independent traders' calendars, which this year will take place from December 7-10, and it's certainly a must-do for one of our long-term clients, Westmorland Sheepskins.

We've had the pleasure of working with Howard Heaton and his family-run enterprise for a number of years now, providing marquees for their attendance at the prestigious Lincoln event plus many other markets and shows across the country.

Howard set up Westmorland Sheepskins over 30 years ago, specialising in genuine sheepskin, wool and leather goods. An offshoot of his grandfather's 130-year-old business, Heatons of Leeds, he has been in the business since the day he was born and knows what he is talking about when it comes to trading in raw skins and materials (he can tell you where a sheep hails from at first glance!). A Yorkshireman through and through, he won't stand for any nonsense when it comes to product quality and neither will he fleece ('scuse the pun) his customers - his prices represent excellent value for guaranteed quality that is, quite honestly, very hard to find these days on the high street.

We spoke to Howard about his approach to business and why quality is so important to him.

The wonderful world of Westmorland

"Here at Westmorland, we are all about valuing value rather than price or labels," he said.

"Our ethic is to develop quality lines of leather and sheepskin; shoes, slippers, homeware and clothing. We invest in products made by small businesses who are interested in the quality of the product as opposed to simply the margins - thinking less about what they can take out to reduce the price but what more they can put in to improve their products."

Careful sourcing is key, for Howard and the team.

"Everything we sell (whether or not it has a brand name) is high spec and high quality, we just wouldn't stock anything that isn't," he continued.

"We source our products carefully and understand them well - where they are from, how they have been made, the materials used, why they are superior to many other goods that might look similar but don't share the same qualities - we can give customers the back story on every item we sell.

"We have a traditional approach of 'waste not want not'. Sheepskin and leather are by-products of the food industry and we believe the benefits of these natural materials over man-made ones should be celebrated and respected.

"Over the past 13 decades, the business has diversified and adapted to the changing economic climate. We now have the sixth generation of our family in the business and intend to keep developing our brand, including its digital presence."

They aim to balance operating as a traditional business with strong values, with keeping pace with the times.

"Currently there's me, my wife Joan, eldest son Joe, who is building his own reputation now across the markets and shows; youngest son Tim, who takes care of the online side of the business; and Tim's wife Dominique, who looks after digital development," added Howard.

"People can also find us at Crimple Hall in Harrogate, and we have a shop in Llandeilo (South Wales) as well as an eBay shop.

"We're fortunate to have some great relationships with fantastic suppliers. We all remain true to our beliefs and enjoy working with other organisations that have similar principles to us, including Village Farm Marquees."

The marquee's the key

"Our diary is very busy with shows and markets, including some of the major annual events such as the Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate Flower Show, Lincoln Christmas Market and the Nidderdale Show. The atmosphere is always brilliant at these events, it's good to bump into old friends as well as meeting new customers (who hopefully will become old friends!)," reflected Howard.

"The Village Farm Marquees team are fantastic people to work with, they always do a great job for us. We usually book a 6x6 marquee and it's essential that it's in the right place, at the right time, facing the right way!"

The feeling of course is mutual, and we're extremely proud that Westmorland's experience of our service is as we always want it to be.

"We never need to worry about anything with VFM, we can rely on them to know what we want done before it needs doing.

"The marquee always goes up without a hitch and they're really prompt with taking it down, we never have to hassle them about anything. We've been working with them for quite a few years now, we've done hundreds of events and I have recommended themmany times to other traders."

Thank you Howard! To find out more about Westmorland Sheepskins or visit the online shop, go to www.westmorlandsheepskin.co.uk

You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If you represent a business and are looking to make a positive impression with current and future clients, we can help you plan your corporate event or show presence end-to-end. We can help you achieve the impact you want, with or without a marquee, thanks to our recently launched Village Farm Events event planning service. So don't hesitate to get in touch with us for a free, no obligation chat about your needs, via info@villagefarmmarquees.co.uk or (01262) 468160.