PULSE of Perfumery has been in the centre of Knutsford since 2011 but it wasn’t until it moved premises that many locals discovered what was on their doorstep.
Relocating in February from their shop on Princess Street to larger premises on King Street proved to be the perfect move with the busier street attracting more customers.
Here, co-owner and director Melanie Seddon tells us why she and managing director Peter Murray decided to open their own business and what brought them to Knutsford.
When did you open the business?
We opened the business in 2011.
Has it always been in the same location?
No, we originally opened the perfumery on Princess Street in Knutsford and relocated in February of this year to our new larger premises on King Street. King Street is a busier street with more footfall as visitors to the town usually head directly for King Street. We anticipated capturing more day trippers to the town, as perfume can be an impulsive treat, but what has been a real surprise to us is just how many locals didn’t know we existed before we opened our doors on King Street, despite the fact we ‘ve been trading for more than 10 years on Princess Street. The new larger perfumery has allowed us to add a selection of luxury niche brands we’ve long admired but didn’t have the space for, which our discerning clients are very much enjoying .
Pulse of Perfurmery on King Street
Are you local to the area? Did you grow up here?
I’m originally for the northwest but Peter was born In Tottenham. We met working for an Italian Fashion Brand (La Perla) where Peter was Sales Director. I was recruited for my fragrance background when the brand decided to launch a fragrance into the UK market in 1986.
Tell us a bit about your business
We’re fine fragrance specialists. We absolutely love what we do and feel very lucky to be able to do this every day, sharing that passion and knowledge with our ever-growing clientele.
What do you do? What services do you provide?
We have curated a fabulous collection of fragrance brands from our extensive industry experience. Brands that clients instantly recognise and connect with – Chanel, Acqua di Parma, Hermes etc – alongside lesser-known niche brands from all around the world. Brands where perfume is considered an art form and only the very best raw materials are used and skilfully worked by the world’s “best noses” – perfumers. We consult with clients every day in the perfumery. You can come along, take a seat and explore your preferences. We understand just how difficult it is to verbalise what you are looking for; the language of scent is quite difficult unless you have spent time in the fragrance industry and our role is to demystify that and introduce you to the variety of what is available to you. Very rarely do clients walk in and just help themselves. Of course, they can do that, but you could walk in and spray 30 scents and not find anything you like. We try to put clients at ease by exploring the ir preferences and guiding them towards something they’ll love. Fragrance isn’t something to rush. You need to invest at least 15 minutes when discovering a new fragrance. In addition, we offer private consultations and these are so popular that we are currently booked up until March 2023! They are one-and-a-half-hour experiences where customers receive an in-depth profiling involving essential oils. This inevitably leads to a new fragrance discovery. Often, these experiences are gifted to people and make a lovely, shared experience.
Private consultations are available in-store (Photo: Tessa Harri Carroll)
Why did you decide to open your own business?
Having had long careers working for various premium fragrance distributors, we spent years supplying every type of UK fragrance retailer and witnessing how, as a nation, we are led by the department store culture. In France or Italy, people shop with specialists when it comes to perfume. There are lots of perfumeries and it’s natural to seek the very best advice when investing in a beautiful new fragrance. We always had our vision of how we would do things. Of course, it’s our business, which is based on our combined 60 plus years of fragrance experience. The brands we have encountered over our careers have influenced us and we admire each of them greatly. We knew that it wouldn’t be easy but we hoped that eventually like-minded people, who appreciate quality, would discover us.
What’s your business background?
I worked in fragrance distribution for around 33 years and was privileged to work with some incredible brands. This role involved working with the brands and understanding everything from the perfumer’s ethos to fragrance compositions, retailers’ needs and the reaction crucially of the customer. My last role was as national sales manager for the largest fragrance distributor in the UK. I managed two sales teams across more than 30 brands and our job was to understand the brand’s global strategy and make it work in the UK market. Peter spent 25 years building the La Perla brand across fashion and fragrance as UK sales director. In addition, his role was to travel internationally and seek out premium fragrance brands that were not yet available in the UK. If he felt they would have an audience here, he would introduce them to the market and work on establishing them. He was responsible for launching several brands at Harrods including Lubin Paris and Florentine brand Bois1920. He quickly developed the reputation as a passionate ambassador for the fragrance industry and has been invited to speak publicly at many noteworthy fragrance industry events.
It’s something we have spent all our working careers in and something we are wholly passionate about.
Inside the new premises on King Street (Photo: John Horsley)
Were you open before/during/after the Covid-19 pandemic? How did this affect your business?
The pandemic was difficult for us but we knew we needed to adapt and evolve so we developed a bespoke diamond acrylic screen that allowed us to still consult clients albeit at a reduced capacity. It meant that we and they didn’t need to wear masks and could still shop safely, which was of course our key concern. We have a website pulseofperfumery.com and thankfully during the months we were forced to close, our loyal clients continued to shop with us online. We made sure that we posted news daily on our social channels and kept our clients engaged. Perfume really lifts your mood and interestingly our biggest selling fragrances during lockdown were bright uplifting scents that evoked thoughts of tropical holidays – perfume escapism.
What makes your business different to others in the same area/field? What sets your business apart from your competitors?
Our unrivalled experience in the fragrance industry makes our business unique, alongside the brand assortment that we have very carefully curated. We have brands that are exclusive to us in the UK and a number that are only available here and in Harrods. We’re always researching new products and travel to niche perfume exhibitions around the word to keep ourselves up to date with what’s happening within our industry. Our team are well versed in every fragrance we range – it’s crucial to each of us that we offer exceptional customer service.
Choosing a fragrance can be a duanting experience but Peter, Melanie and their team are on hand to provide help and advice (Photo: Tessa Harri Carroll)
Why do loyal customers return to your business?
Customers return because they have discovered a fragrance they love and because we take time to get to know our clients. We’re interested in them and we always say we are inclusive not exclusive. We understand that some people may find businesses like ours intimidating but we do our best to put everyone at ease. We listen and see our role as helping people discover something we know they will enjoy. We’re fortunate to have clients shopping with us from Edinburgh down to Cornwall and everywhere in between, as well as our wonderfully loyal local clientele whom we greatly appreciate. We never take their support for granted.
What’s next? What do the next few months hold for you and your business?
We will continue to establish ourselves in our beautiful new premises on King Street and we’re gearing up for what we hope will be a very busy Christmas period. We’re optimistic for the future and looking forward to many more years scenting Knutsford and beyond .
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Some of the fragrances available in-store (Photo: Tessa Harri Carroll)
