A Birthday for Pearls on Churchfield Road

Pearls Drycleaning has been open for business for two years

Pearls Drycleaners on Churchfield Road is celebrating two years of business in Acton today.

Nish Taank, who owns the business and who will be a familiar face to his many customers, said: "The time has gone very quickly but it already feels like we are a longstanding business - even though we're still new and growing."

Nish has started to diversify and now has an extensive range of haberdashery in his shop. He stocks the full range of Dylon dyes, needles, cotton reels in a myriad of colours, moth deterrants of several different kinds, storage solutions, shoe care products, gift sets and (mostly natural) home fragrances.

Rug Doctor cleaning equipment and products are also available for hire at the same rental prices as bigger companies like Homebase and B&Q.

Many customers have already told Nish that he has effectively filled at least part of the gap in the market which was formerly occupied by Woolworths. At a time when even John Lewis appears to be reducing their haberdashery department, the range of useful goods in Pearls is very welcome for locals and for the growing band of customers from further afield who order goods from Pearls' Shopping Channel which supplies goods to the whole of the UK.

Nish says that he is also investigating the growing trend for retro cleaning products and already stocks Vim. "These products clean really well compared to the new stuff."

He is keen to keep the business as ecological as it possibly can be. Drycleaning for customers with Loyalty cards is returned to them in breathable, re-usable garment carrier bags. The Loyalty scheme is suitable for customers with large amounts of drycleaning and costs £7.49. Anyone joining receives a bag for life or a free garment bag. They will also receive a 10% discount on all their drycleaning forever. Even when there is a promotional discount running, Loyalty customers still receive a 5% reduction on top.

All customers benefit from the very useful text service which sends an alert when drycleaning is ready to pick up.

Nish says: "Pearls brings the drycleaning business into the 21st Century. Our business is very up-to-date and I am always keeping an eye on new developments within the industry. But the most important thing for me is to give my customers a very personal service. If I see someone on their way to the shop, I will usually find their clothes before they have arrived."

He continues: "I am not breaking away from being a traditional drycleaners, but my aspiration is to be a specialist, boutique-style shop - a niche business, an important one for Acton which adds something to the area. We are looking to expand into evening collections and deliveries for drycleaning and hope to launch that service soon for local people."

Nish also aims to introduce an e-newsletter for promotions for customers who sign up. "I want to give my customers excellent opportunities for saving money on their drycleaning in the future, so it will be worth signing up so as not to miss out."

In these crunchy times, when workers and families are facing salary reductions or redundancies, Nish says he is pleased that his business seems steady. "Are we disappearing? Definitely not. Our Acton customers continue to support us and we're really pleased to be here."

October 8, 2007