Retail Merchandiser Vol 66 Issue 3 | Page 51

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Affinity
Fragrances
“ Around four-to-five percent of our turnover comes from adjacent categories such as cosmetics, skincare and haircare, but fragrance remains our area of expertise,” Niraj elaborates.“ That’ s where our knowledge, relationships and experience are strongest, and we’ ve deliberately chosen not to diversify too far beyond that. The majority of our capital is invested in fragrance stock, so maintaining focus is important. That focus has been a key part of our success and allows us to operate efficiently while continuing to grow.
“ Alongside our wholesale business, we’ re increasingly focused on securing official distribution rights for new brands. That means we’ re responsible for bringing the brand into the market, developing its retail presence and managing its distribution across the country.
“ Looking ahead, we see significant opportunities in this area,” he adds.“ Rather than simply trading products, distribution involves working directly with brand owners and manufacturers to develop a clear route to market, outlining how the brand will be positioned, supported and sold through retail and online channels. Distribution is a natural evolution for the business and complements our existing wholesale expertise, allowing us to build long-term value while leveraging the market knowledge, relationships and infrastructure we’ ve developed over the past decade.” that have underpinned our success in the UK,” Niraj says.“ By replicating our existing operating model and investing heavily in training, we’ ve been able to deliver a consistent level of service and quality across both locations.
“ The warehouse has been particularly valuable for customers outside Europe. Rather than routing products through the UK, we’ re able to source stock in Asia and deliver it directly to international markets, reducing both transit times and freight costs. As our global footprint continues to expand,” he concludes,“ the Singapore facility provides an important platform for future growth and helps us serve customers more effectively on a worldwide scale.” ■
www. affinityfragrances. com
Seeing Affinity Fragrances go from strength to strength has been a highlight for us. Your success is well earned, and we are proud to have played a part in it. Alpash Mepani, Director SONA IT LTD
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Global expansion
One of Affinity’ s most significant recent investments has been the opening of a warehouse in Singapore, which has provided a strong competitive advantage and strengthened its ability to serve international customers.
“ A key priority was ensuring that the Singapore operation maintained the same standards, systems and processes
At SONA IT, we deliver end-to-end technology solutions from your network and hardware to your security and cloud so you can focus on running your business.
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