Fashion store near award-winning high street forced to take 'urgent action' and enter 'crisis sale'

'The summer season was tough. Really tough,' says the owner of Strut Women in Belper

A Derbyshire fashion store owner, who trades close to an award-winning high street, has shared an honest message with her customers after a "tough" summer period. Strut Women in Strutt Street, Belper, has long been a firm favourite among Amber Valley shoppers since it opened its doors seven years ago.

Owner Laura Armstrong, who is Belper born and bred, told how she first opened the store with plans to only sell men's clothing. But as the years rolled by, the 43-year-old started to experiment; gradually adding womenswear piece-by-piece until the whole shop was filled with women's clothing.

So Strut quickly turned into Strut Women and ever since, the store's noticeable signage and warming interior have acted as a magnet for passers-by, with plenty of footfall coming from the nearby King Street - the town's high street - which was named as the UK's best high street in 2019 at the British High Street Awards. Laura said it was only in March this year that she noticed a decline in sales.

She said: "The summer season was tough. Really tough. I bought stock off the back of an amazing summer last year and thought, 'If I have the stock, I’ll sell it'... I did not sell it. The none summer that we had, made it extremely difficult to sell high summer stock, we simply did not have enough people making trips into town.

"I held my nerve and hoped the weather would turn, that things would pick up and I worked hard behind the scenes trying to make things better within the business. We have been consistent on the socials and tried to remain positive.

"I saw a number of casualties over the summer with boutiques closing that I looked up to and admired. I knew then we were going through a turbulent time and that I wasn’t on my own with finding things hard.

"But I’m now in a sticky situation. After a hard summer and having no cash cushion, the quieter months of August and September have literally drained me dry. It’s frightening how quickly things can go downhill for a small business and now I need to take urgent action before Strut has no way out."

Laura added that, while she would keep her head high and tell people she was "smashing it", it simply wasn't the truth behind closed doors. She also says that her dad has been ill throughout the lack of business and says it has had a huge effect on her mental resilience and mindset.

"Basically I’m just asking for help, which I find really difficult to do. We have launched a big 20 per cent off sale and we have some fantastic bargains - and I'm completely lost for words at the support we have been given.

"We have had one of our busiest weeks of all time this week - and that is all thanks to the wonderful people of Belper who have answered my calls for support. They really could be the difference between life and death for my business and, if things continue, we should be able to remain open going forward.

"If you love Strut as much as I do, please come and find some juicy autumn bargains. Offers will be on until the end of this week at least and I will try and get it all online by Wednesday. I appreciate the amazing customer base we have, you are all amazing."

Not only has her call for help sparked support across the town, but Strut Women's online sales have been through the roof in the last week. Anyone who would like to support Laura can do so in-person, or online by clicking the link here.