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Our work with distributors: Jacksons

Our work with Jacksons

Jacksons has been supplying the catering and hospitality sector for nearly 100 years. Founded as a glassware supplier, the company gradually moved into all areas of the catering industry and now operates from a 35,000 sq. ft. facility, including a large showroom, in the south east.

We first began working with Jacksons in 2008. We started with small order volumes then as our relationship developed, we have increased both the quantity we supply and the number of Jacksons’ clients we serve.

Why Surrey Ceramics?

Our unique ‘Pick and mix’ system mean Jacksons’ clients can create completely individual tableware orders, whereas most distributors just offer standard ‘off the shelf’ ranges. Jacksons know that they can give their clients the opportunity to get hands-on with creating their own tableware – bringing them into the studio to discuss their ideas and using our knowledge and experience to help them make the best choice for their business.

It’s important to us to have a great relationship with our distributors. Jacksons’ sales team has become familiar with the way we work and the fact that we can easily adapt our range to the client’s requirements. We have also taken the time to understand their clients’ needs and make both practical and design suggestions, and this open, two-way approach.

Creating bespoke pieces

As well as our extensive range of tableware options, we have also worked with Jacksons’ clients to create bespoke pieces for their hotels and restaurants. This includes Tom Dixon’s The Coal Office – a restaurant based in London with an inventive Middle Eastern menu.

For this project, the client came to a meeting with a range of thoughts and ideas for their tableware. Some of these ideas challenged the way we had done things previously, and so we wanted to see how we could innovate to give the customer what they wanted. We supplied a set of sample plates, and the client was delighted with the results, placing considerable opening order for the London restaurant, before ordering more for a second site in Milan, Italy.

A collaborative partnership

Jacksons tell us that they like working with us because they know they can call on us at any time to discuss any tableware ideas or innovations and we will always be accommodating. Both our teams work well together, forming a real partnership that benefits Jacksons and its clients.

To help Jacksons make the most of their partnership with Surrey Ceramics, we have collaborated with them on a number of design catalogues, using professional photography to present our items and glazes to Jacksons so they can pick their favourites to put forward into the catalogue that goes out to their customers.

We also run dedicated product training days with the sales team, giving background information on our products and showing them how our pick and mix system works. This gives the team a good understanding of how we work, and the confidence to sell to their clients, giving them the benefit of our bespoke service.

Working together

Jacksons are great supporters of our work, and act as an extra sales team by promoting our products to their clients. They come to us with new ideas, and we approach them with anything new we have lined up, so we are constantly looking for ways to keep each business ahead of the game. Jacksons displays our products at their own showroom and often bring their clients to our studio so that they can see the care and attention we pay to every hand-crafted piece.

Working with Jacksons

  • Keeping an open mind about all projects and ideas
  • Listening carefully to client briefs
  • Offering solutions to challenging problems

Feeling inspired? Let's chat about your ideas - Call us now on 01428 604 404