Addison Ross is a family owned and run British luxury home accessories brand, specialising in beautifully crafted and stylish ideas for bespoke gifting in the home, from beautiful frames to exquisitely designed trays. The company has gone through many changes since its inception in 1978: at one point Addison Ross ran a successful gallery in Belgravia, creating handmade frames for up-and-coming artists, top West End galleries and interior designers. Then a few years ago it succeeded in developing the complex technology that would allow its website to offer a phone-to-frame service. Now from its factory in the beautiful Cheviot Hills of Northumberland, the company ships its elegant designs – as well as a collection of clocks, boxes, trays, homeware and notebooks – around the globe.
There’s no doubt that having a successful online platform has helped Addison Ross to weather the recent pandemic; indeed, the business has seen its orders triple in the last few years. This, say David and Sarah Ross, is no small thanks to the hard work of all their staff: ‘While it has been a challenging time for so many reasons, we are very proud of how our team pulled together to ensure that during lockdown, and with only a skeleton team working in the warehouse, we could fulfil our orders.’
David believes their company was able to play a part in helping families feel connected when various lockdowns forced them to be apart. ‘Sales of our frames, along with our phone-to-frame service, meant friends and family were able to send beautifully framed memories to each other, helping everyone feel a little less isolated,’ he says.
In an area where most of the work is seasonal, Addison Ross is proud to be an all-year-round local employer. ‘We strongly believe in investing in our employees and have created a happy, warm and welcoming working environment. We are excited about our 2022 expansion, which will see 10,000 more square feet being added to the factory and new staff facilities that will create further jobs for the local community as we expand the team,’ says David.
This community spirit was evident again more recently when Storm Arwen brought down 20 pylons, cutting off local power for the peak early Christmas buying period and the following week, which meant the company had to catch up with a backlog of orders and customer queries while the power was still off. ‘Customer service is our top priority so it was all hands on deck throughout the weekend and even night shifts to get our customers’ orders out as promptly as possible. The loyalty and dedication of our staff is something we are most grateful for.’
Last year saw Addison Ross introduce several new products, including additions to its popular scallop range with new tray colours, bins and frames, as well as a round tray design.
‘It has been brilliant seeing the new products that we launched last year do so well,’ says David. ‘Our expansion into America continues to be a success too which is exciting. We have excellent stockists such as Bloomingdales and Saks and our direct-to-consumer sales have also grown in the US. When it comes to homeware and entertaining at home, the American market loves British style – and we have a brilliant offer for them.’
