We can't get under the skin of these issues without your input so please take the time to do our survey’Giles Henderson, 29
Owner, Six Whiting Street, Bury St Edmonds
At 29, Giles Henderson has already achieved his plan: opening his own store. Menswear indie Six Whiting Street launched in June 2007 and won the Best New Business Award at the Drapers Awards in 2008.
Henderson started his career at Suffolk-based indie Trotter & Deane after completing a Fashion Management degree at London College of Fashion. Keen to broaden the type of experience he was gaining, he then moved to Envy where he rose through the ranks to become junior buyer for denim and jersey on the Tom Wolf brand.
“I was at a crossroads in my career when the perfect building came up in Bury,” Henderson says. He and his wife put together a tranche of loans, sold up in London and moved to Suffolk. “It was extremely hard work and very stressful,” he says.
Henderson wouldn’t change anything though. “If anybody is thinking about opening a store they must do research first, know that there is a market for their idea and come up with a strong and realistic business plan. But people also have to go with their gut instinct. Sometimes an idea may not make sense on paper.”
He is proud that he has brought a new store concept to the town, and of the staff – led by his “fantastic manager” Matthew Kay. “I’m also really proud of what I have achieved opening a business in such a difficult market.”
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