www.durham.ac.uk/shop
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Winter Congregation………......1
New University
Merchandise…………….……...2
Christmas Festival……………..2
Tombags………………………..2
Getting to know you…………...3
Durham Cityscape Bags………3
Oriental Museum Shop………..4
Social Media Update…………..4
New ranges at Palace Green
Library…………………………...5
Staff Spotlight…………………..5
Staff Recognition Awards…..…6
Coming up soon………………..6
Winter 2014
Issue 4
SHOPTALK
Durham University
Retail Office
@DurhamUniRetail
Durham University Retail
Office
WELCOME BACK Welcome to the Winter edition of the Durham University Retail Office newsletter. Christmas
and New Year are fast approaching and there is so much going on! Christmas Festival Prepa-
ration (page 2) has been on the go and deliveries for Winter Congregation (Page 1) are coming
in. The new University merchandise is up and in full flow (Page 2) with beautiful new Durham
Cityscape Bags as our feature product for this issue (Page 3). We get to know the new Retail
Intern, Amelia, (page 3) and we have a beautiful, colourful feature on the Oriental Museum
(page 4). Our Social Media presence is slowly growing with hopes to expand (page 4) and our
Palace Green Library range is playing out like a fairy tale! We say hello and goodbye to staff
(page 5) and don’t forget to get voting in the staff recognition awards before December 10th
(page 6)!
WINTER CONGREGATION
Please send any contributions for
our next newsletter (out in March)
or call 0191 334 3563
Winter congregation is another busy time for
the retail office. An exciting time for gradu-
ates who could not or did not want to be at
summer congregation. Glasses of cham-
pagne will be on sale along with lots of Uni-
versity Merchandise! A wide range will be
available at our University merchandise
stand, selling everything from prints of
Durham to our bestselling graduation bear.
We will have our usual pop-up shop within
the Graduation fair in the Quad at St. Chads.
The 8th and 9th of January will be when
all the preparations come together. We
are already accepting lots of deliveries
and stocking up our outlets!
We have also put some champagne on
our website so that students are able to
just collect it on the day and not delay the
celebrations by having to queue. We
can’t wait!
The huge, heated Craft and Gift Marquee on Palace Green will feature over
190 stalls across all three days of the event including our own pop-up shop so
please look out for us!
NEW DURHAM UNIVERSITY MERCHANDISE
During the past few months we have been pro-
moting some of our ‘new for 2014’
#DurhamUniversity branded products.
New clothing lines were launched in time for the
new academic year including bomber jackets,
sweatshirts, hoodies and slouchy T-shirts.
We have also had high quality tote bags made
with a bespoke Durham cityscape printed on
them (see our feature on them on page 3!).
CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL!
2
TOMBAGS
As part of our brand expansion we
have launched a new style of bag.
Tombags!
Durham's award-winning, 21st annual
Christmas Festival returns from Friday
5th December 2014 for three days, with
a wide range of festive entertainment for
all the family in and around the World
Heritage Site of the Cathedral and the
Castle.
For more information on this event please visit www.durhamchristmasfestival.com
In the Cathedral Cloisters, a Local
Food Producers Market featuring
another 30+ traders will operate
each day.
They are bags with a style based
on military kit bags and have
proved to be popular amongst
celebrities, with Nick Grimshaw
seen using one!
We hope they prove to be as popu-
lar here!
All of our new items are available on our online shop www.dur.ac.uk/shop
v
Name: Amelia Monks
Job Title: Retail Intern
As this years retail intern I manage the
social media, carry out many financial pro-
cesses for the office and chip in with any-
thing I can, from scheduling the window by
Waterstones to helping to co-ordinate the
art exhibitions.
1. Do you have any pets?
No, but I desperately want one! I have only
ever been allowed gerbils but I’m hoping to
end up having a big fluffy dog to cuddle!
2. What are you reading at the moment?
I just finished a book called ‘The Taliban
Cricket Club’. It was so, so good. I love
cricket and it was a book that played with
my heart, a fantastic combo!
3. Which historical figure would you
most like to be?
Well, I was named after Amelia Earhart
who was the first woman to fly solo across
the Atlantic. She was adventurous, brave
and went against the grain of what was
normal at the time. I’d love to be like her!
4. What was your best subject at
school?
Probably Biology but Government and
Politics is a close second. Religious studies
was a favourite too. Probably why I went on
to study Anthropology at Durham.
5. What did you want to be when you
were a child?
I don’t think there was one single thing, but
I know in my adolescent years I wanted to
be a clinical psychologist so that I could
help people through their problems and
help improve their mental health.
6. Where will you be going for your next
holiday?
Oh that’s a tough one. I have nothing
booked but I would love to visit a friend in
Malaysia but I would also love to go to
Kenya. Who knows where I’ll end up!
7. What is your favourite drink?
I like a good coffee. A nice Mocha on a
cold winters night is very appealing this
winter time.
8. What skill or talent would you most
like to acquire?
I would love to be flexible and acrobatic. I
admire the fitness level and strength of
those athletes. And I think being able to do
a back flip would be pretty cool!
9. What’s your greatest vice?
Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate. I eat way
to much of the stuff and once I start I can’t
stop.
10. What’s your favourite film?
I adore the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and
watch it once a year. They really motivate
me and make me feel that even in the dark-
est times, good can flourish.
11. Do you have any nicknames?
Only a couple of people call me Meels/
Milly. But not many. I remember a friend
called my house one time and asked for
‘Milly’ and my Dad answered and said: ‘No
one of that name lives here’ and hung up!
12. Where’s your favourite place in the
world?
This is a very difficult question! No idea!
13. What one item would you take to a
desert island?
Probably a sewing kit. Sounds boring but
you’ve got scissors to cut nails (long nails
would cause havoc) and make tools and a
needle and thread to mend clothes!
14. What would be your ideal day?
I would love to go on a nice Winter walk
(with a dog) to a good country pub, have
Sunday lunch and a pint with friends by the
fire. Then back home to have a hot bath
then watch a film with my family eating
chocolate.
15. What achievement are you most
proud of?
During my teenage years I was a keen
oboist and performed in the Royal Albert
Hall 3 times. But in my adult life it’s got to
be getting a first class honours degree from
Durham!
3
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
DURHAM CITY-
SCAPE BAGS
These bags have been Ethical-
ly made and are ecologically
sound, produced especially for
us! They feature a fantastic
design by Julia Gash.
With an ‘I ’heart’ Durham’
Badge these will make the
perfect memento for anyone
who has lived in Durham.
They are stocked in Palace
Green Library, the Botanic
Garden Shop and the World
Heritage Site Visitors Centre.
They are a firm favourite with
all of us in the office. The
small bag is just so cute!
Make sure to grab yours before
they all go!
VISIT THE ORIENTAL MUSEUM!
The shop at the Oriental Museum has gifts themed around China, Japan, Egypt, Ko-rea and India. Wherever possible we source products from the country of origin, giv-ing us a rather unique collection– from Fairtrade elephant dung notebooks to Korean wedding ducks and glass hanging decorations handmade in Egypt to Samurai rubber
ducks!
4
SOCIAL MEDIA
UPDATE
Our Facebook page now has 257
likes. We are hoping to reach 300
in the next couple of months. Help
us get there by inviting your friends
and family to join. We will have a
celebration when we get there so
get excited!
If you have anything you want to
promote about your outlet then just
drop Amelia an e-mail and we can
feature you in a post! Please e-
mail: [email protected]
Our Twitter page is also thriving
with 484 followers. Our most pop-
ular posts come from our ‘sneak
peak’ photos. If you fancy follow-
ing us for updates on what’s hap-
pening up at the office or sneak
peaks at what is coming up next for
our range then search for Durham
Uni Retail!
Did you know we now have Pinter-
est? Follow our page and see what
we are pinning...we are building a
collection of our favourite photo-
graphs of Durham and around the
University, if you have your own
Pinterest page it would be great to
see some of our products re-
pinned.
Amelia, Our Retail Intern is carry-
ing on our weekly Intern Diary
Blog. She is currently doing a
series on Time Management. If
you want to find out some secrets
on how to get more done in the
time you have then give it a read!
Just go to our official shop website
and click on the ‘Blog’ tab.
Another popular item from Korea is our wedding ducks, which are a traditional
wedding gift. The newly-wed couple dis-play a pair of these wooden ducks in their home; facing together if they are getting on well, and facing in opposite directions if the relationship isn’t quite so harmoni-
ous!
Our Indian merchandise is eco-friendly and Fairtrade, handmade
by local people using recycled and sustainably sourced materials. We have some lovely leather journals, as well as colourful Sari notebooks
and hand-carved wooden boxes and frames. Buying this merchan-dise directly helps the people who
have made them by providing them with fairly paid work.
Look out for our new range of Egyptian stock from the British Museum, We have pharaoh cufflinks, mummy pencil tins and Rosetta stone jigsaw
puzzles.
The next time you’re looking for something
different from the high street, give us a try!
We are particularly proud of our wide selection of Korean ce-
ramics, including vases, cups, trinket boxes and trays. They
are made with a celadon glaze, which is a beautiful subtle
shade of green, and are hand-made in South Korea.
We also have official University merchan-dise, a selection of cards with an Oriental
twist and pocket money items. You will find the famous Japanese Lucky Cat range in
our shop (as seen above).
Winter Congregation is on the 8th and 9th of January 2015. Be sure to visit us in the St Chad’s college Quad and say hello!
Take a look at some of our new, and already very popular, ranges
featured at Palace Green Library…
Staff Spotlight
Farewell Bethany!
After 3 years of working part time for the Retail Office, Bethany has left to
take up a position as Buying Assistant at Dunelm Mill in Leicester. This is
a great move for her and we wish her all the luck for her new adventure.
Welcome to Ann Chapman
We would like to extend a warm welcome to Ann, who is helping out in
the retail office over the Christmas Period. Ann comes from a vast back-
ground in Retail Management, and has been settling in very well with the
rest of the team.
Amy Wilkinson’s appointment as Housekeeping and Cleaning
Services manager:
Amy Wilkinson has now left the Retail Office, due to her recent appoint-
ment as the new Housekeeping and Cleaning Services Manager. Amy
has been with the Retail Office for many years now and we will be sad to
see her go. I’m sure you will all join us in wishing her the best of luck in
her new position.
Well done to Vicky:
The Retail Team would like to thank Vicky for all her hard work in carrying
us through the past few challenging months. She has worked incredibly
hard, and has led the team through a number of successes! Thanks
Vicky.
*Have any achievements you’d like to share? Please contact Pia on [email protected] and let us know what you’ve been up to!
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NEW RANGES AT PALACE GREEN LIBRARY
Fairy Tales This beautiful range by Heather Alstead Design is 100% created and manufactured in Britain. A unique and original range of prod-ucts, the influence of classic fairy tales is clearly shown within stunning black and white designs featuring The Princess and the Frog, Goldilocks and the 3 Bears along with many more!
Pencil Shavings Cards
Our range of cards by designer Ruth Jackson have become
incredibly popular already - they are all lovingly made in Great
Britain and there are options for every occasion imaginable
including some new Christmas ones!
COMING UP
SOON IN
DECEMBER
Christmas Festival is happening on
the 6th & 7th December so be
sure to come along for all things
Christmas!
Get on down to the Botanic Gar-
den for a traditional crafts weekend
on the 13th & 14th December.
Palace Green Library is giving you
the opportunity to make your own
Christmas crackers on the 20th &
21st December.
www.durham.ac.uk/shop
Durham University Retail Office
Mountjoy Centre, Maple Wing
Stockton Road
Durham
DH1 3LE
Phone: 0191 334 3563
E-mail: [email protected]
STAFF RECOGNITION AWARDS
Last year at the
Recognition awards...
(l-r) Hannah Taylor, Pia Neave,
Jayne Setchell, Oliver Farren
It’s a very exciting time in the Retail Office, as we approach the run up to the
annual Catering, Event Durham and Retail Recognition Awards.
The team recognition awards are designed to acknowledge the hard work of
team members across Retail, Event Durham and Catering Teams and those
who have made an outstanding contribution to progressing standards within
their department and the University. The recognition evening is a brilliant
night of awards, and celebrations, highlighting the success of our teams and
colleagues.
Last year the Retail Office had a great year and the following people were
acknowledged:
Hannah Taylor – Retail Office – Newcomer of the Year (Winner)
Oliver Farren – Howlands Shop – Upselling (Highly Commended)
Jayne Setchell – Palace Green Library Shop – Extra Mile (Highly Com-
mended)
Pia Neave – Retail Office – Outstanding Contribution to a Team (Highly
Commended)
We can only win awards, and recognise our teams and colleagues success
with nominations from yourselves, so please get thinking about your nomina-
tions!! The closing date for nominations is December 10th. It would be great if
we could continue on from last year’s success and do even better!
If you feel like a member of your team has gone the extra mile or a manager
has supported you, and you would like to see them recognised please make
sure to get your forms in with examples of how amazing they have been!
I can’t stress enough how important it is to vote for your colleagues
and highlight the brilliant work we’ve done as a team this year!!
The awards evening is 9th January 2015, and it is a great night of fun with a
free glass of bubbly and some food.
COMING UP
SOON IN THE
NEW YEAR
The Oriental Museum has a
‘Walk like a Pharaoh’ event
on 24th January where you
can make your own Pharaoh
mask to wear with pride.
You can also celebrate Chi-
nese New Year at the Orien-
tal Museum starting on the
18th February to help you
welcome the Year of the
Sheep!