Humans of Gardiner Haskins - Karley Coles

In a retail world which is constantly changing, Gardiner Haskins as a brand have had a full restructure to cement their future and reinforce their commitment to their customers. Introducing new roles to members of staff such as Karley Coles. She has taken on the role of Marketing Assistant in our Cirencester branch. However, she is not new to the company, having worked with us since January 2008! Karley says, “I started at Gardiner Haskins Cirencester in the Soft Furnishings department as a temporary stop gap while I worked out what I wanted to do, 11 years later I couldn’t imagine working anywhere but here.”

Karley worked in our Soft Furnishings department for many years before transferring to the Cookshop and Hardware department. Of her shop floor work Karley says, “I had previous experience in retail, but nothing is quite like working for Gardiner Haskins. The amount of freedom you are given within your department allows you to be creative and express yourself. Merchandising is always done by our shop floor staff and a lot of the everyday ordering too. In later years I also consulted with the Marketing Department in Bristol on Social Media and Blogs relating to Cirencester which was fun as it was a whole new dimension of the retail world for me.”

In 2018 Karley went on to maternity leave to have her son, Harry. She returned to work at the beginning of 2019 to a whole new part time job role in our Marketing Department. Karley remarks, “I definitely chose a great time to come back. Exciting times are ahead for Gardiner Haskins including the launch of our brand-new website and the Cirencester store celebrating our 40^th anniversary. My store directors and managers have been supportive in my return to work which makes a difference after having a baby. I think that’s the bonus of working for a smaller Independent Company, it’s like coming home again”.

Karley’s favourite memories have a distinct theme to them. “I love the events and the dressing up! We’ve been lucky to be involved in some fabulous local events such as The Cotswold Hare Trail. Seeing all the hares at the Burford Launch Event was incredible. In store events are always fun too, in March 2019 Richard Newman did a sponsored Charity Dance to raise money for Maggie’s Cancer Support Centre, Cheltenham. The event was such a nice way to bring staff and customers together to basically have a laugh, I really enjoyed it. Wrong Trousers Day and Christmas Jumper Day are always circled on my calendar. Community spirit is everything at Gardiner Haskins.”