McWhirter the Jeweller is a family run jeweller based in Newry, Northern Ireland. We spoke to Ross from McWhirter the Jewellers to find out more about the business and the 12 Days of Christmas event that earned them our CMJ retailer of the month in December.

Tell us about what your business specialises in?

McWhirter the Jeweller is a traditional, family run jeweller serving the local community for over 65 years. We specialise in diamond engagement and weddings, watches and a vast range of 18ct, 9ct gold and silver jewellery. We also have a watch maker and jeweller onsite; we pride ourselves in offering our customers exceptional customer service from the point of purchase and beyond.

How would you like to see the business grow in the next 12 months and beyond?

From our relocation in November 2021 to Newry’s main shopping district, we have seen amazing growth and success. We have been very privileged to not only maintain our loyal customer base but also welcoming new customers on a daily basis. Our main aim for the business remains the same, to provide our customers with great quality products and services in a warm, welcoming and friendly manner. We believe this enables us to grow as we put our customers at the forefront, and it shows with their returning loyalty to us.

As a business how do you keep your staff motivated to work to their best of their abilities?

As a business we view our staff members as family. We believe if you work with them, they’ll work for you. By giving our staff the opportunity to be involved in areas such as buying, we feel this can be motivating for them as they know and love the products as much as our customers do. We also offer all our staff the opportunity to be involved in different courses to broaden their skill set within the industry, whether this is Ear piercing or JET courses. In 2024 we had 2 staff members complete their JET 1 and since then we have noticed an increase in their personal motivation in store and also their desire to potentially complete further qualifications.

This Christmas the event was very successful, why do you think this is?

We first held our 12 days of Christmas campaign 6 years ago and year on year we are seeing more engagement with our followers on social media. We believe the success of this campaign is down to our customer’s anticipation of it. We have customers in the weeks leading up to it enquiring about when it will begin. Additionally, this year we had organised for a Santa to call in store and spread some cheer. He then took to the streets, gifts in hand, to hand out to shoppers. He took time to stop and chat with young children, many of whom couldn’t believe that Santa himself was among them! We received such positive feedback from this, we have planned to hold this event annually now alongside our 12 days of Christmas. Getting to see so many happy faces both young and old made this event very gratifying.

Why do you think it is important for businesses to run events like these?

We feel it is important to run events such as the 12 days of Christmas as it allows us to show our gratitude to our customers for their support all year round. The campaign is also a useful marketing tool as we are able to reach customers we may not have previously had the opportunity to reach. We find these events also drive footfall in store as other customers enquire about the products we showcase during the campaign.

Are you planning on anymore events like this in the future?

Yes, we will continue to run this event in the future. We also run other events such as Buy one get one half price on wedding rings, and our 2 for 1 ring cleaning service in the spring which gets a brilliant response year on year.

You ran an online event – Why do you think using social media is becoming more important to use for retail businesses?

We feel social media is crucial in business as it provides powerful tools for growth, marketing, customer engagement and more. Social media enables us to reach a global audience which increase our brand visibility and can attract new customers. Our social media platforms enable us to have a direct line of contact with our customers and allows us to interact with them in real-time. Compared to traditional forms of advertising, using social media is more cost effective for our business.

Do you have any social media tips you can share for your fellow retailers?

Consistency is key with social media. Posting regularly keeps your audience engaged and helps improve visibility on social media platforms. Whether you are posting once a day or a few times a week, maintaining a consistent schedule ensures that your audience knows when to expect new content. Be sure to make use of the scheduled posting feature on social platforms, this has been a game changer for us.

What do you enjoy most about being part of the CMJ and would you recommend other retailers to join the CMJ

Yes, we would recommend the CMJ to others. Being members of the CMJ allows us to be part of a network of likeminded retailers with industry specific knowledge. We have found the ability to reach out to other retailers very helpful. Our team also enjoy the opportunity to attend the CMJ trade events as it allows us to meet with suppliers on a personal level and form lasting connections with them.