A fashion boutique boss who’s suited and booted superstar footballers is urging Chester’s independent shops to be “top of the league” for service.
That’s the call from Nick Minshull, owner of City Gate menswear store in Bridge Street, who certainly knows the score when it comes to running a successful retail operation.
Last year Nick celebrated 50 years of running the business, the city’s longest established independent designer store.
Figures from the world of showbusiness ranging from Cliff Richard and Matt Goss from pop band Bros to EastEnders actor Leslie ‘Dirty Den’ Grantham have come through the shop’s doors, and the store has been a particular favourite of fashionable footballers for generations.
Liverpool FC stars John Barnes, Ian Rush and Bruce Grobbelaar have been regulars, keen to pick up the latest high-end trends.
Apart from first class customer service, one of the other secrets of his success, said Nick, was the first class advice and guidance he gets from chartered accountants Coxeys.
He said: “I don’t have the time to sit in an office to do my VAT returns, my PAYE, to chase up invoices.
“Having a really good accountant like Coxeys, one you really trust, is essential and I have had fantastic support from them which has helped me concentrate on what we are good at.
“If any issues crop up I can always pick up the phone and they can be sorted out immediately.”
Anthony Lewis, managing director of Coxeys which has offices in Chester, Saltney and Wrexham, said: “Being in business for more than 50 years demonstrates that Nick is a real retail champion.
“He is what people come and see the shop for – you walk in there and he knows what you will look good in, and that’s what people pay for.”
Anthony added: “You could spend hours out of your day doing your books, or leave that to us. This gives you the confidence your accounts are being looked after, while you giving you the extra time to focus on what is really important, your customers and your business.”
Accountant Maxine Cummings has been helping Nick with his accountancy for 20 years.
She said: “Having a strong long-term relationship with clients is so important – you know how they work and they know how you work. Having worked with Nick for the length of time I have, I have seen him go from strength to strength. He is now very successful and an inspirational character.”
For Nick, getting to know the Anfield idols has been a highlight of his five decades at the store – even if he is actually a Manchester United fan.
Nick said the store first became a go-to destination for the soccer superstars in the 1980s when City Gate stocked the best Italian fashions.
He said: “Up until then we had sold English mainstream fashion for years, but then we went over to a big exhibition in Italy where everybody launches their new collections.
“The Italian clothes we brought here really hit home with all the sports guys.
“We were getting sportsmen, footballers, boxers coming up from London, and that really put us on the fashion map in that period.
“The first footballers to become customers would have been Graeme Souness and Rushie.
“Then we had guys like Steve Nicol and I became pally with Bruce Grobbelaar, a very interesting guy even outside football.
“And when John Barnes would come in, we had to lock the door. The girls would be queuing up to meet him.
“He was an absolute superstar, the one who probably gave us the most exposure, because he would also buy the real, crazy clothes.
“I still see John, still see Rushie, from time to time.
“And Vinnie Jones, in fact the whole of the Wimbledon team, were good customers for us back then.
Nick says with the rise of internet shopping, retailers on the High Street face continuing challenges, but said independent businesses offering a unique and customer-centred service could survive and thrive.
He said: “With the internet now with us, online is more significant for the independents, so much so that all that shops really have now to offer is excellent and expert customer service.
“It’s about making sure you and your staff are professional and are knowledgeable enough to take the weight off men’s shoulders when they come in looking for clothes.
“Most of our customers know us, they know what we offer. They want nice clothes, they want a standard of service they can’t get anywhere else, certainly not on the internet.”
Although he took over the shop in 1974, Nick revealed he first started working there in the Swinging Sixties.
He said: “I came here in 1969 when I was at school, I would have been 16. I used to admire this shop when I was at school, it was called Richard Vaughan in those days.
“I remember there was a red shirt in the window one day, a shirt I couldn’t afford, because I was only a schoolboy. I remember thinking if I get a job here I might be able to work out a way of getting that shirt.
“So I walked into the shop and asked if there were any jobs and I started working here through my school holidays and at weekends.
“I was going to go to Loughborough University, but then Richard Vaughan offered me a way of buying the shop and that’s what I did, at the age of 21.
“That was October 1974, and it was then I changed the name to City Gate.
“Even at that stage, I didn’t think it was going to be my career.
“I was young, I liked clothes, and I just thought this was going to be some fun.
“It wasn’t a plan to stay in the business because fashion shops are notoriously fickle and short-lived.
“You don’t expect 50 years – though I don’t suppose the Rolling Stones expected 60 years!”
