6 SPRING//SUMMER 2018 SPRING//SUMMER 2018 7 NEWS Register at www.stationerymatters.news to receive our biweekly industry e-newsletter Quirky online retailer Ohh Deer celebrates its seventh birthday this year with an extra-large slice of cake and the opening of two physical stores. Stationery Matters caught up with co- founder Jamie Mitchell to ask him how the journey’s been so far… Happy 7th birthday! How did it all start? It all started with Mark [Callaby] having a spare day. I suggested he use it to make a bit more money by doing something creative. However, I ended up pinching the idea because my degree didn’t lead to a job I enjoyed. So I worked for a year in industry to earn some money, which we then translated into our first batch of products. I quit work, ditched my degree and moved back to Loughborough from London to work on Ohh Deer.The intention originally was just to pay our rent. Ohh Deer has flourished in a relatively short time. What’s the secret? It has been successful, but it’s weird, we’re so in the zone we haven’t really noticed. It’s been like having a child – because you see it every day it’s seemed the same size. Only once in a while you look at it all, with everyone beavering away, to remember that it was just you in your grandparents’ loft six years ago. I put the magic down to very dedicated staff and lots of brilliant ideas.We’ve made plenty of mistakes, but we’ve always adapted our response. How has your business strategy evolved since you started in 2011? The business strategy at the beginning was, and still is about social presence. Luckily when we started it was much easier to be seen on social media platforms. Now it’s like trying to navigate an assault course of ever-changing obstacles. But we have a good foundation so it’s not been quite so bad. I believe in the power of quality products. If you get those right, then it’s a just a case of layering the sales processes after that.We’re still always working to produce the best product to RRP ratio. How do you make the different aspects of Ohh Deer work together? Everything interlinks, but we do strategise as if they’re three or four different businesses, which can sometimes be difficult.The trade sales side is completely separate to the web sales side, with different objectives and methods of getting ‘the sale.’ The physical shops were a bit of a departure from that model too, but fortunately we have good managers in place, so we’ve been able to let them roll with that while we work on the main beast. Tell us about your new stores! We have one connected to the HQ in Loughborough and another in Ipswich, which is a lot more central.Why Loughborough and Ipswich? That’s what most people ask! Mark, the other director, is from Ipswich and I’m from Loughborough, so it makes sense.  What made you decide to go into physical stores when the high street is so challenging right now? We wanted to test the water.A lot of high-street stores struggle because their online side is lagging a bit.We’d started from a web store, so wanted to see if that affected the equation.We currently have no future plans for additional shops if that paints a picture! What can we expect from Ohh Deer over the next seven years? It’s going to get more refined, bigger and better. Like I said, no plans for more physical locations, but the team is going to grow a lot, we’re looking more internationally, too.We’re looking to become a destination website for what we do – we’ve a way to go yet, but that’s the objective. www.ohhdeer.com See writing and paper products brought to life at the London and Manchester Stationery Shows. Enjoy selecting fabulously fashionable stationery and gifts from leading UK and worldwide brands and discover a wealth of fresh thinking and original styles to inspire you and your customers. Fill your shelves with great gifts, irresistible treats and smart essentials and pick up invaluable global trend and sector intelligence to help develop your business. REGISTER NOW for the LONDON STATIONERY SHOW stationeryshow.co.uk Add Manchester 2018 to your show diary now @StationeryBytes @stationeryshowsUK @stationeryshowsUK