Global Excellence Awards 2020

www.lux-review.com Page 33 LUX 2020 Global Excellence Awards Based in Norwich, Oakleigh Watches was founded in 2013 on the premise of bringing the luxury experience as well as the luxury product into watch retail and collecting. A keen collector of pre-owned watches himself, Giles has built the company around an ethos of quality and authenticity, an ethos that is shown in a statement on their website that promises ‘an attentive, personalised experience, which is all about you’. Giles went on to tell us about how they differ from their competition: specifically, by way of attitude. Oakleigh is keen to show in sale after sale that whilst a first-time buyer’s experience of buying a luxury watch can be daunting, they can help make it less so. They uphold a firm belief that not only are their products the best of the best, but that how they work is the best way for their clients. Besides the beautiful watches they offer, Oakleigh have cultivated many glowing reviews from their clients through a customer-focused and empathic approach to their industry. Above all else, they seek to provide service that exceeds expectations to make customers smile every time they wear the watch they bought, with an internal culture that believes the profit margin is secondary to this. Of course, as with all businesses, the last few years have presented Oakleigh with new hurdles to leap. Prior to Covid-19, Oakleigh did offer face-to-face meetings with their clients that they could no longer offer. However, this proved an easy enough adaptation for them to make as 95% of their business is conducted remotely. Furthermore, lockdown has been a busy time as customers old and new rekindle their love for luxury collector’s items. Despite the opportunities they have found during the novel circumstances of the pandemic, however, they have found Brexit an especially tough challenge to face. Due to the halt of all trade with their European suppliers and clients Oakleigh Watches is a small company selling first rate pre- owned luxury watches to a world-wide network of private clientele. We caught up with Oakleigh’s Director, Giles Massingham, to find out more about its success and what their plans for the future entail. OakleighWatches Ltd Best Luxury Watch Retailer - East of England alike, they have found that the withdrawal of the UK from the EU has caused damaging confusion regarding VAT on shipped goods. Giles added that he would encourage the government to open free trade with the EU once again to rekindle trade dynamics between UK businesses and the EU. Oakleigh’s dedication to its client base also shines through in its approach to keeping an eagle eye on industry trends. Although it is of course imperative for them to keep abreast of new or discontinued makes and models across their wide variety of luxury watch brands, they also keep track of the prices of the watches they buy and sell. As prices fluctuate in the global market trending towards luxury watches increasing in value over time, Oakleigh is aware of how imperative adaptation to these trends is in order to deliver the best service possible. This goes hand in hand with adapting to the changes in how people shop. With all offered services now being remote and more people shopping online than ever, the company has also seen a vast growth into online spaces. As well as a flourishing Instagram page through which they receive many of their clients, Oakleigh Watches is planning to diversify what they offer to include a two-pronged method of serving their clients. One of these will maintain the very close personal service between their watch concierges and customers, as they have done since their founding, but one will also be offering a less personalised service to allow them to keep on top of ever-rising demand. Finally, Giles had this to say to both Oakleigh’s clients and supporters, past and present: ‘I would genuinely like to say thank you to all of our existing clients, whether a one-time buyer or one of our many regular friends. The amount of interaction and interest that has grown over the last seven years is far, far more than I ever imagined and to be honest still astonishes me when I stop to think about it. I hope that we keep making you happy and add more to your number as the years go on.’ Company: Oakleigh Watches Ltd Contact: Giles Massingham Website: www.oakleighwatches.co.uk