Le Jubilée

Hi All

What a time we have all had with the Diamond Jubilee. We are all such a patriotic bunch and quite rightly so. I was so lucky to be in France at the time watching it on the television. It was a fantastic few days and not to be out done the French and the Ex Pats put on a street party not to be beaten with the full works, union jacks and bunting galore!! The French attempted to make a shepherds pie and coronation chicken and we all, (over 200 English and French) toasted our Queen by singing both the English and French National Anthems. There were jazz bands and Victor Brox a famous blues artist, who was amazing . You would never believe it was France just look at the photos . All the profits went to the local schools. Even the mayor got p****d . Well done! 

We were very busy over the jubilee period at ESK and sold out of all the bunting.

What’s happened to the weather? A few lovely days and then rain and winds again. So much for the hose pipe ban.

Last weekend saw the start of Linda’s wedding preparations . A load of the staff went out on the town for her hen party, including The General, James. The bride and groom  have been together 28 years so they should know how it all works by now, especially with the kids and grandchildren. Linda has worked for me for over 10 years. The wedding is definitely a rival for a Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. Definitely not a bash for the feint hearted, you have to be brave to attend!!. Seriously Linda and Brian Good Luck for your special day .  If I wasn’t on parole I would join you.

On a sadder note an old friend of mine (David Boggis) passed away in Suffolk . My wife and I went to pay our last respects and we met all these older chaps I didn’t recognise and found out I was in the same class at school!! That makes me an old B*****d too! I haven’t seen them for nearly 50 years. It was a very sad occasion. My deepest condolences Janet , he will be sadly missed.

Back to work now. We are trying to improve our textile department at last . Scott Ellis (Handy Chair from Hollington) has been over-seeing the development and he has done a great job. Well done Scott. It is amazing how great the stock looks in the right setting.

Take care all.

Bob. 

Reigning or Raining?

Hi Again

It’s all happening this year. We have got a hose pipe ban in East Sussex and it’s not stopped raining, the weather has gone bananas. I spoke to friends in the South of France and they are still having frosts. It’s mad!!

We've got a great solution to the hosepipe ban, we are the only place where you can buy the amazing 'LeakyHose' irrigation system by the metre, check it out HERE

We now a have a full range of Jubilee stock in store. There is a large selection which includes flags, bunting, cups, serviettes, aprons, hats plates and much more. So don’t forget if you are having a street party ESK is the place to come. See a great selection by clicking HERE

Our costume jewellery and hair accessory department is now open and is doing well.  We have plenty of choice for all ages in the hair accessory range.

I am now sending my son to China on a research trip. He is 16 years old and has been studying Mandarin language for three years. It’s pay -back time. Let’s hope he finds some interesting products. I am sure he will I have every faith in him.

We are now starting to re-arrange and extend our textiles department in our Eastbourne store. We are putting in 6 display beds with our latest best selling design with matching accessories. I am sure you will love it. We also have a new large range of decorated and ornate mirrors in store. They won’t improve my looks though but you will love them.

Regards

Bob 

Something Fishy!?!?

Hi Again

Well it’s been a long winter and we are starting to stock up on the gardening side. Our Famous Fred has been very busy getting his side up and running. We start the Garden Club with the main man himself which starts Thurs 15th March with a talk and demonstration on pruning, very interesting. On Saturday the 24th of March is a FULL CLUB DAY so if you are not a club member join now so you don’t miss out on your discount. Details at www.eskplants.co.uk. 

An early warning for you also is that we have Michael Fish giving a talk and film show on Global Warming on Thurs 10th May. This is one not to be missed but numbers are limited so first come first served.  Just don’t mention the hurricane!!

We have been very busy in our Pets department at Eastbourne putting a new floor down, it looks brilliant. We have some really good promotions at the moment: James Wellbeloved 15kg £29.99, 50 Fat balls at £5.99, Whiskas Pouches £2.49 for 12 pack, Wild Bird Seed 20kg  £11.99. So watch this space. Also don’t forget whilst shopping you can have your car cleaned. Wash away all the salt to keep the rust at bay.

We have some great deals on food at the moment in store : Golden Wonder crisps 20pack for £1.79, Assorted Noodle Bowls at 99p, Biscuits from 29p, Pom Bears 99p and a large range of cakes at 99p. We are really coming up with the goods with even more  great deals available at the beginning of next month after our annual stock take.

We are looking forward to the leisure area  “Focus” have gone skint, but their loss is your gain, greenhouses, garden furniture, bbqs, tools all at silly prices starting straight after stock take, 1^st of March.

Click HERE to see a small selection of the GREAT DEALS on offer.

We have just been to a trade show for inspiration and have some great ideas for new products. We are putting in a new section of hair accessories, costume jewellery, Pandora style bracelets, make up bags, and much more. There will be something for all your girls out there with great styles and prices. We are also stocking a range of baby goods such as buggies, baby walkers, car seats and  booster seats.

Take Care, More Bargains Coming Soon!!

Bob 

A Happy New Year to Everyone

I hope you all had a fantastic festive season now it’s over we must knuckle down and see what we can do to combat all the doom and gloom that we keep hearing in the media. Our buying team is out and about searching for bargains to save you money.

It was lovely to see all the children’s happy excited faces with Father Christmas and I hope all their wish lists came true. Just wait until this year we have got plenty of new tricks up our sleeves to make it even better, (remember ESK is where dreams come true)

I must apologise for promising the web site would be up and running. Unfortunately when you get the technical people involved they discover all sorts of problems. Our intentions are good and we are still working on it.  Please bear with us.

It won’t be long before the days get longer and we will be in our gardens. Our garden club starts again soon Green Fingered Fred will be dusting down his microphone and oiling his trainers and putting and   a smile on people’s faces again it’s going to be a special time this year.

We are about to start work on the textile and linen’s department in Eastbourne we have nearly changed the light’s and we have got the new flooring and we have some new stockists on board. So it is very positive to say the least.

On a sad note Luscious Lucy who I have mentioned before has decided to retire, her and Bootleg George were playing games in their garden. Luscious fell and damaged her arm. It is very sad she has been with us for 16 years and we will miss her badly. A very loyal worker and what a lap dancer!. Enjoy your retirement Luscious you deserve it, (although I have heard a rumour that she is thinking of going back to lap dancing!)

Once again, Happy

A Santa-stic Day!

Hi Again

We had a great day on Saturday. I have never seen queues like it to see Father Christmas. It was simply amazing to see all the kid’s faces. The queues were so big my son Bobby had to give the kids AND adults sweets!  The kid’s loved the reindeers and horse and cart and Our Father Christmas was amazing , he never stopped all day, didn't even have time for a pee, although maybe I should check the grotto to make sure! He treated the last four kids the same as the first four . He worked flat out from 11.45 to 4.45 smiling and talking to all the kids and I owe him and the three elves a huge big Thank you for all their hard work.

The list of people to thank is endless. We had the Eastbourne AM Rotary Club here along with others bag packing on the day who managed to raise over £600 pounds for charity. The charity was Breakaway- a weekend break for around young disabled people. Everyone  was amazing . The day was co-ordinated by Peter Lindsey who worked tirelessly to ensure that the day was a huge success. Thank You Peter. We had Rik Scott from Sovereign FM , The Mayoress of Eastbourne, Carolyn Heapes, Christina Ewbank president of Chamber of Commerce and Mercedes Benz from Eastbourne, Sue Mulvey from the Esperance Hospital, Stephen Lloyd our local MP, Councillor David Tutt, Beverley Thompson from Southern Water here all bag packing.  A BIG Thank you to you all and to all the Rotarians that also helped to raise money for such a worthy cause. I would also like to thank Hayley Scott who was a real trouper and the staff from the Eastbourne Herald who took photos on the day,  the face painters and magician  Al Plonko who worked non- stop to entertain the queues of people. I would like to thank all the staff and management. I am sorry if I have left anyone out.  THANK YOU TO YOU ALL.

You can see loads of great photos of the day by clicking HERE

Seasonal Greetings to you all.

Bob

Thanks to All of Our Customers

Hi Again.

I would love to say a big Thank You to everyone who supported us in our Halloween project this year. What a wonderful success after 10 years without doing Halloween. Most of the staff in Eastbourne dressed up and looked the part which was great. Watch out for next year we know what direction we are heading.

Don’t forget our Father Christmas will be arriving in store on Saturday the 26th of November with his REAL reindeer. Come and see him and the grand opening of our Christmas Grotto at 12.00 pm. Bring the children it’s only £3.00 .  They get to see Father Christmas and a present. Great value for money.

David (you may remember him from earlier posts, the one with the hat) has come up with a fantastic idea for the disabled. We will re-open on the 6^th of December after the store closes at 5.30. We will specially re-open the store at 6pm till 8pm for Blue Badge holders and their carers. They will receive nibbles and a drink and more importantly have the store to themselves for a couple of hours to browse and do any shopping. If you are interested in coming along ring the store and let us know .

We have a great announcement to make: By the end of November we will start operating online sales. We are still currently developing the site so please be patient but it is definitely a step in the right direction for all our customers. Just key in www.esk.co.uk.

Don’t forget  we are still regularly updating our book section. Paperback fiction novels are £1.99 each or 3 for £5.00. We also have a great selection of coffee table book’s, autobiographies and children’s books all at great prices. Just in time for Christmas.

We have had Peter the poppy seller in store with his table of goodie’s. He sits there for 14 days on the trot voluntarily.  He does a grand job for a good cause. One year we tried him as Father Christmas but because of his shape we had to stuff him with cushions! Yes you’ve guessed it his trousers fell down, so I am sure you agree it’s best he sticks to selling poppy’s.

When it comes to this time of year it takes me back to when I used to work on the fairground’s in the summer I would be scratching around trying to earn a living which I did by selling Xmas paper on the street’s. I had a friend who had a café, his name was Jonny Mouser who we knew by the name of Micky. I would look after his café when he went on holiday. He was a really funny fellow and one day he asked me to help him down the stairs from his flat to the ground floor with a piano. We got out of the door and along to the landing OK until we came to a set of stairs. This chap came out to give us a hand and unfortunately we dropped the piano on him. We were horrified. He kept making these funny noises and we thought his was messing around and the more we laughed the more we squashed him. Little did we know at the time that he was deaf and dumb! I bet he has kept away from piano’s ever since. We got the piano down to the ground floor in the end and he saw the funny side and was a smashing bloke.  

Anyway, Thank’s once again for your support and hope to see you soon.

Bob

Bob & His Team Get Set for the New Season

Hi Again

Sorry we are running a bit late but we have been very busy. We have laid a new floor in our promotional area where we have also built a massive house for our Xmas products which everybody loves. We have also built a new Halloween Department at the back of our store with unique Scream Machine products it looks fantastic and is very very scary, the feedback from people has been amazing . We have really gone to town this year with Halloween after not running it for 10 years we decided to do it again in style. There is something for everyone at very good prices.

The Massive Halloween Display at our Eastbourne Store

We have started to put our Fireworks out also in store . Again the new range is absolutely amazing. We have big packs of Giant Rockets, Roman Candles, Barages, Mammoth Sparklers, Cake Fountains, Catherine Wheels, Pyro-Mesh Rockets etc etc. This Year we have a giant tv showing the impressive fireworks on sell.   On Saturday the 26^th of November we have got our very own Father Christmas visiting the store at 9.30 with a horse and cart to ride around the town a few times playing Christmas carols and waving to all the children It will arrive back at ESK for 11.30 for him to feed his reindeers. At 12 o clock we will have the grand opening of our Christmas Grotto where the children can visit Father Christmas and get a present. Tickets will be on sell for £3.00 at customer services beforehand. We will have our two face painters and resident majician Al Plonko performing free of charge too.

On Tuesday the 6^th of December we are opening the store between the hours of 6pm – 8pm for Blue Badge Holders and their carers . It would be helpful if this is of interest to you if you could email us to let us know if you are coming so as we know roughly how many people to cater for.