By Ian McConnell
SCOTTISH family-run jeweller Laings has unveiled plans to invest £10 million over the next two years in its showrooms and workshops, enabling customers north of the Border to see watchmakers and goldsmiths in action.
Laings plans to increase its workforce by up to 25 per cent on the back of the investment. The firm’s Cardiff showroom will treble in size. The jeweller pledged “significant investment” in its Scottish workshops, marking “the beginning of a new client experience”.
It said: “For the first time in the company’s history, clients will be invited to join the watchmakers and goldsmiths behind the benches to see their skills in action when completing services, drawing back the curtain on the artisan crafts and allowing the team to take centre stage. Upon opening, the workshops will play host to client immersion sessions, luxury events and meet-the-makers demonstrations to showcase expertise, allowing clients to see the intricacies.”
Laings chief executive Joe Walsh said: “The workshops create a special experience for our customers. Not only will they be able to talk to the watchmakers and see them working, they’ll also be able to attend events where they can gain a deeper insight into the craft – taking watches apart, seeing how the mechanics work and putting them back together. People are looking for experiences now and that’s what we want – to deliver a new form of retail that captures the imagination.”
Laings has six showrooms in the UK. It has four in Scotland, three of them in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh, as well as the Cardiff operation and a store in Southampton.
Asked about ownership of the business, a spokeswoman replied: “Laings is now in the hands of the sixth generation of the Laing family with executive chairman Stuart Laing acting as a guiding hand for his daughter, Wendy Laing, marketing director, and her husband, Joe Walsh, CEO. Richard Laing also sits on the board of directors.”
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