Whether the Weather...?

Hello All,                  


Well what’s happened to the weather? It’s shocking -we don’t know whether to stock flip flops or wellies!

I tell you what we are selling in  large volumes  - BOOKS - and  just in time for the summer holidays. At the back of our  Eastbourne store we have a large selection of paperbacks  priced at £1.99. There is also a great selection of authors such as Linda La Plante, Maeve Binchy, Susan Lewis, Lesley Pearce . We also have a large selection of children’s  and cookery books all at very competitive prices.

Don’t forget we stock the biggest party range for miles, to suit all your summer party and bbg needs.  We have a great range of grass skirts  and Hawaiian products  too and we’re are  licensed to sell fireworks all year round.

 Ozzie should be smiling at last, now he has stopped giving away free teas and coffees. To look at his face anybody would think we had asked him to give £10 notes away with each free drink. Poor chap!  If you visit our store I bet you can’t make him smile.

Last week we sponsored a Human Table Football Fest with Beachy Head Rotary Club, which was held on the seafront’s Western Lawns. The wind was so strong it blew one tent away and broke the pole on the main marquee. The only good thing  was my wife Marie was going to do face painting. She practised on past president Ray Groves.- what an improvement!

Before I go I must thank all you lovely people who have emailed me. It is lovely to receive your comments and support.

On a sadder note we brought some trees to plant on the boundary which looked very nice.  On Sunday night some yobs broke them. I can only assume they got pleasure out of it. (bring back the stock’s, that’s what I say!)  I do wonder what’s happening to the world sometimes …….

Regards

Bob

Getting Crafty!

Hi  it’s me again.

We have had our staff out on the streets of Brighton giving out brochures and promoting ESK. I sent my wife Marie along to keep the staff out of the pub and out of the bookies!  They like a bit of Bet Fred! Especially our own Handy Chair from Hollington.  She can also run fast which is good because they got moved on a few times! They got a very good response from the people who had heard of us and that knew about ESK.

The lads at the car wash have been very busy and have done really well with the discount coupons and Ozzie’s chin is even longer because of all the free teas and coffee’s. We can no longer call him the “Grinning Turk” but he is still selling his lovely cakes and freshly cooked meals.

Let’s talk about Craft. We are putting a new Artist section in consisting of paint brushes,oils, water colours, acrylics and canvasses. You let us know what you require. Just email info@esk.co.uk 

Continuing with Craft we have been full up on our Thursday club night but we still have spaces on Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10.30 – 12.30. Please book , you will be made very welcome. Our next demonstration day is Saturday the 23^rd of July. Our demonstrators are Gaynor White, Ann Hyde and Mandy Russell. There are lots of new product and remember it’s absolutely Free of Charge. 10.00 -3.30. 

Please come along and bring your friends.

On a sadder note it is very sad to see the amount of shoplifting going on. The trouble is it’s what pushes the prices up, we all pay more, we catch them red handed and we ALWAYS call the police and have them arrested. The crown prosecution drop the case …..they wouldn't  if it was their own money. However it does not stop us giving them a red face. 

Serves em right!

Going for GOLD!!

Hi back again,

Didn’t little big head do well (only joking)? I am, of course, talking about our Famous Green Fingered Fred. Our resident garden guru was exhibiting at the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show last month (May). He spent most of the time having his photo taken with the likes of Ringo Starr (bet he told him how to play the drums), Nigel Havers, Gloria Hunniford, and various other assorted big-wigs.

But what an achievement for him and his team to pick up a GOLD MEDAL at Chelsea, unbelievable.

Talking about gold! A friend of mine was mayor of Bexhill-on-sea, had a wonderful year, did a wonderful job  he had to hand his chain of office back I hope they counted the links, sorry Jim or should I say Councillor Carrol.

In my job I have to plan a long way ahead. At the moment I am working on our Halloween products because this year we are going to have the best Halloween display in the Eastbourne area. We have so many ugly people working here we must use their looks and mine to promote Halloween (I hope they still work here after reading this). We're also planning on building a huge Xmas grotto with a live father Xmas. I would like to hear your comments please. E-mail me at info@esk.co.uk.

Exciting Times!

Hello again


We have just got back from China, absolutely Cream Crackered I must be getting to old for this job if you have a nice steady job don’t try and nick mine. The prices are going through the roof. The shipping is getting expensive the hotels are getting very expensive (they double the hotel rates & exhibition times) if you want western food you have pay, we are up for breakfast at 7am have breakfast catch the boat just after 8am start work at 9am and walk, walk and walk talking looking for new ideas you find products then find they are not suitable for UK market.


You might negotiate for a hours and then find thy have made a mistake with the price that is why I pay for my kids to learn Mandarin most of the Chinese are nice vulnerable people but they do you no favours in business. We catch boat home to the hotel about 6pm have Shower go out to restaurant (very casual)then we meet fellow traders from all over the world socialise(no favours) we are very lucky Michele our agent has been going to china over 30 years and looks after our interest when we are not there , can
you believe( a cockney bubble and squeak) looking after us it was good to come back to busy store Fred has made our garden club so busy he really is a star(famous Fred) if you come to our garden club slip him a tip because he need a new suit for Chelsea Flower Show where he is showing his new gold leaf Clematis 9what a star) the Queen, Alan Tichmarsh, Peter Seabrook might as will stay at home that all for now see you soon. 


I must tell you we have a Lady called Luscious-Lucy who is in 70-s has semi retired jus does 3 mornings a week she has been with us 16 years we rescued her she was the pole dancer but she did not like the heights she just drive her husband “boot leg George” mad rest in peace as a special privilege we still let her keep her dirty books under the till.


Bob

The Story Continues

Hi there, back again. Hope you enjoyed the first introduction. It was good to see so many people at our last gargeners club day!

I haven’t seen the store so busy since we opened twenty years ago, we were mobbed! The car park was full to capacity, we had so many compliments and even Ozzie in the restaurant was smiling, which he doesn’t do very often.

Don’t forget our gardening club every Thursday 5.30 - 8.00pm. ‘Green Fingered Fred the Gardening Guru’ and his team of helpers and celebrities are on hand to give help and advice. Our next “open Day’ is on 11th June so make sure you put it in your diary.

Our Craft Club day went exceptionally well. By popular demand we have classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10.30am - 12.30pm. We also have a ‘Card Feast Day’ call Gaynor for details on 01323 435537. Gaynor will be demonstrating all our new products every Bank Holiday Weekend so don’t miss them. All those years ago when I was selling Christmas paper on street corners, all I used to worry about was getting my collar felt and getting moved on by “old bill’. How times have changed.

Off to China soon to try to source new lines and bargains for you all. When I first started travelling to China 20 years ago the food consisted of chicken claws, beetles and locusts. We couldn’t get western food on the street, although we managed to find a McDonalds. I ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. By the time I returned to England I thought I could never face another Big Mac ever again!

My general manager, Dave, has been going to China with me for the last 15 years. He’s 6ft 5ins and really stands out from the crowd, the locals are amazed at his height. I never lose him in a crowd - his shiny bald head stands out like a beacon.

We now have a brilliant carwash and valleting service at the Eastbourne store which will leave your car sparkling, clean and tidy. Best in the area!

I look forward to seeing lots of new faces. Please come and ask to speak to Bob - I’m never too busy for a friendly chat. Good luck to all my dear friends.

Bob.

The Story Begins...

By Bob Beevis, Managing Director of E.S.K

Welcome to my Blog. I thought it was about time I told you a little about me and my company, and shared a few secrets with you.

Ever wondered what E.S.K. stands for?  Extreme Sensual Karting. Only joking, it actually stands for the two key trading counties for us, namely East Sussex and Kent. The full name did not sound snappy enough, so I started using the initials instead. It worked well for us and we've been E.S.K. ever since.

I started E.S.K. on August 16 1977, the day Elvis Presley died. There was only room for one of us. Over the past 34 years, I travelled many miles and met thousands of interesting people. Some were inspiring and helpful, others were less so. I am still in contact with loads of people with whom I've done business with over the years.  I've also visited countless countries, and still do. 

Anyway back to 1977. I had £500, a belief that I could do deals with people and the knowledge that I could sell. My first lucky break came when I saw an advert in a newspaper for a firm in the Midlands selling something called "continental quilts". This was cutting-edge, nobody had heard of the product before. 

I bought some quilts, pushed them in the back of a borrowed Transit van and  drove down to Hastings. Within two days I had sold them. Result! I repeated this process a few times, making a little bit more money each time.

My second lucky break came when a customer asked for 250 quilts. My initial reaction was "You must be joking!", but I quickly composed myself and assured him that would be fine. That customer was Brian Reade and his mother. Brian was to become a massive influence in my business life. 

I hired a lorry, went up to the factory and started loading the goods. The factory owner saw me at work and asked why I was only half filling the lorry. I explained that I had no money to buy extra. Without a second thought, the owner allowed me to have another two hundred "on account". Amazing.

I couldn't believe my luck. So I left the factory in the hired lorry, filled with 500 quilts. My next problem was that I didn't have enough money to buy diesel for the return journey. I pulled into Corly service station and sold a few quilts to other drivers form the back of my lorry, and to some of the ladies on the till in the shop. It was like taking candy from a child! I filled up the lorry, walked in the service station and got some dinner. It was the best food I'd had for a while. Egg and chips had never tasted so good.

I continued selling quilts to the lorry drivers twice a week for a couple of years. I'd earned enough money to open my first little shop in Hastings, called Jumbo Disco.  

In 1992, I teamed up with Brian Reade. We opened up our piggy banks and bought a site in Courtlands Road, Eastbourne. E.S.K Warehouses was born. It has served us well ever since. We have a great customer base and enjoy a strong relationship with the town.

Business went well and  a  few years later  in 1995 Brian and I found a great site in Hastings.  We bought the site and have been going strong ever since.

For those of you who haven't been to E.S.K., you don't know what you're missing! E.S.K. imports items from all over the world, real value for money. We stock approximately 45,000 items. There's a furniture department, rugs and carpets, household textiles, linens, stationery, garden furniture, pots, pans and cook wear. There is also a wide variety of children's books and toys. There's probably the biggest range of picture frames in the county.

We sell mirrors, big paintings, lighting and bedding. We believe we have the best range of pet products (excluding live animals, we leave that to the breeders). We have our own team of extremely talented resident demonstrators for arts and crafts in our Eastbourne store. We hold a Craft Club and you can email us for more information and even free membership. We've had a range of Sky TV stars along to the Craft Club to demonstrate their skills, including Allan and Barry, Dawn Bibby and Michelle Saxon. 

We also introduced some extra services for our lovely customers. We have a super fast car wash team waiting to give your vehicle a bit of TLC, and we have an excellent cafe and restaurant offering cooked breakfasts, lunches, snacks, teas and coffees.

Last, but definitely not least, we have the all-important superstar, Green fingered Fred. He runs a huge gardening department and is always busy. He has the best value plants and the freshest displays you have ever seen. He will be sharing his knowledge through a column starting soon in the Eastbourne Herald.

That's all for now, look out for my next blog.