Shetland Marketing Banner

You are here: Welcome to ShetlandMarketing.org » Marketing Resources » Case Studies » Ninian

Ninian

Ninian was established in 2003 and is owned and managed by Joanna Hunter. The business mainly offers textiles but also sells jewellery, ceramics, homeware and candles

NinianThe business began when Ms Hunter recognised that Shetland Knitwear was very much staying with the traditional style for traditional markets and wanted to expand into new areas as well as to sell her products to a local market.

‘I wanted to offer products that were indigenous to Shetland so textiles were an obvious choice but wanted to produce Shetland textiles with a difference.  I spent time visiting trade fairs to see what the competition were selling and I researched what the local producers were making at the time and recognised that there was a gap in the market.

To keep up to speed with current trends I regularly take trips to the mainland to speak to my customers, attend trade fairs and go to workshops.  All of this helps me keep informed of the latest trends in fashion which then lets me tailor my products into what people will be looking to buy.

Ninian’s target market is women, aged 20-60, from all over the UK, with high disposable income who have a desire to buy unique items made in Britain.

Whilst I speak to my customers at various show throughout the year, I also keep in touch via mailshots, actually going and meeting face-to-face with my trade buyers and of course via our website.

The main barrier we face to growing our business is in the cost of travelling off Shetland to attend shows and meet our customers.  The Marketing Development Programme the Council operates certainly does help with these costs and without it’s marketing financial, I probably would not be able to go south to perform so many of these types of visits.

I’d advise to any news business start to be persistent, don’t let one year slip you by but above all, understand the needs of your customers.

Joanna Hunter
Owner, Ninian


www.ninianonline.co.uk