A thank you from Ted
Dear Customers,
First and foremost I would like to say a huge thank you to all of those who have ordered deliveries from us or continued to shop at our retail stores.
We are an independent family-run business and were uncertain whether we would be able to recover from the loss of almost all of our sales to pubs, clubs, hotels and restaurants, which makes up about 70% of our turnover.
Prior to this crisis, we were also operating a thriving retail arm – for which we have several times been named Wine Merchant of the Year – and a very small online ordering service. For those of you not aware we also have shops in the Botley Road and Turl Street in Oxford, in Standlake near Witney and a small concession shop at Millets Farm. Turl street is closed due to its small size and town centre location whilst the others are still operating – after a fashion!
However, the scale of orders we have been receiving via our website has been astonishing. I would like to personally thank each of you for your contribution to keeping us afloat and ensuring we will be able to return to business as usual as soon as circumstances permit. The amount of support has also encouraged me to put more resources towards our online service for the future. We had already been working on a new web presence and are aware that there have been some glitches with our current site – not all of our own making!
Alongside our online offering, we are very keen to maintain the personal element to our service. As such there is always someone friendly and knowledgeable on the phone (during office hours of course!) If you have any problems simply ring our Head Office and we will be more than happy to help you (01865 301144 – option 1).
This sudden switch from wholesale to mail order has brought with it some logistical challenges. With many of our usual trading routes temporarily closed, we have been unable to place orders as we usually would and thus are experiencing shortages of some product lines. We are now in a position to keep our website up to date with the stock available, although there still may be occasions were a substitution is required. However, with such a comprehensive range we always have an alternative option of excellent quality on hand if necessary. We are fortunate that our customers have been so understanding of some product shortages.
In order to keep up with demand, we have been adding more mixed cases to our already broad offering. We are also updating the products in existing cases to offer variety for those who may have already ordered. In other words, please keep looking and ordering!
We are operating on a skeleton staff and those of our team who have not been furloughed are working six days a week in an effort to get orders delivered within two working days – by all accounts much faster than many of our competitors!
I’m well aware of how many small businesses have been discovered and supported by the public during this crisis and we very much hope that you will continue to support them (and us!) as the gloom slowly lifts!
My sincere thanks and best wishes,
Ted Sandbach,
Owner & Managing Director of The Oxford Wine Company
