Sonya Angus boutique exceeds expectations in first year of trading

An Aberdeen boutique run by a former high-end fashion buyer at Jenners in Edinburgh has exceeded its turnover target for its first year and grown its team to three ahead of schedule.

Sonya Angus opened her gifts, furniture and interiors boutique at the end of 2016.

Sonya Angus: Gifts, Furniture and Interiors opened at the end of 2016 in the suburb of Cults and had aimed for sales of £78,000 in year one, but the figure ended up reaching £116,000 for December to December.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” says Angus, who attributed the performance to offering something different to high-street retail and sitting in the affordable luxury part of the market.

She also cited the advantage of working with suppliers new to the area, adding about four names to the list after a visit to London, while November was particularly busy for the shop, even more so than December.

The plan is now for measured and “realistic” growth, looking to increase turnover by 5 per cent this year as well as expanding into online retail, and reinvesting profits into growing her range.

Angus opened the independent store after “the right shop came up in the right area”, having moved to Aberdeen from her native Edinburgh four years previously. She previously said the launch also fulfilled her lifelong dream of owning and running her own boutique.

However, Angus has ruled out opening more branches for now.