Jobs boost as shopping channel moves to town

Entrepreneur Ross Wallis, the man behind the rapidly growing Wallis Retail Group which owns Card Outlet Group, has unveiled its latest venture – The Outlet Channel.

It means that broadcasting will come to Kirkham after a purpose-built new studio was created at the group’s headquarters on Poulton Street.

The programmes will air on Sky TV starting on June 1, 8pm with five hours a day of television lined up.

Managing director Ross, 24, said that they had been working on the idea for a year and saw their chance with Sky when two of its existing TV retail production companies dropped out.

He said: “TV shopping is unbelievably big. It’s a sector worth millions and it’s something we have been looking at getting into.

shop

“It offers a new way to engage with customers and gives them a new platform to shop with.”

The UK is the second largest market, worth €1.4bn in 2011 and expected to expand 19 per cent to €1.7bn over the following six years according to a European Retail Association study in 2013.

“This is something new and exciting for Kirkham – its own TV station. It means we have created 30 new jobs here, with the studio, camera crew lighting, make-up and the call centre to deal with the customers.

“We have been using local people wherever possible. Some of the presenters and behind the scenes staff and we also had local people in for the build.

“Two companies broadcasting on Sky pulled out and we recruited some of their experienced presenters and have brought in some of our own. We want to keep it real and not have that false style that some TV retailers have.

“It has to be bob on and professional. We have a whole new team and have been working hard.

“It is a difficult undertaking to set up. There are so many rules, regulations and compliances to follow it is not as simple as some people might think. The presenters have a lot to think about in the studio, there are so many things they must consider its quite a challenge.”

Card Outlet Group has been growing rapidly since it was founded in 2008 and is part of the Wallis retail group.

It opened a new distribution centre in Kirkham earlier this year creating 15 new jobs in the process and has recently opened Card Outlet stores in Fleetwood and Highfield Road Blackpool.

It has also opened two Stationery Outlet shops. Wallis Retail also operates Pet Outlet and Leftmove estate agency and Taylor and Brown hair and Beauty Salons.