Our campaign for Bagnificent is becoming one of the most succesful we have so far undertaken. Already featured in the Daily Mirror and Business 7 the company’s founder Gerry Campbell has just had the entire front page of the Daily Record’s Woman supplement all to herself.
The Record is the biggest newspaper in Gerry’s native Scotland with 1.2million readers every day - 28 per cent of all adults in Scotland. So it is a fantastic hit for us.
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SCOTS mum-of-three Gerry Campbell figured it was time to go back to work when her youngest son William reached school age three years ago.
But she knew she didn’t fancy a return to her career in accountancy or office life.
However, a chance discovery on the internet uncovered the possibilities of buying discounted designer bags from Italy. From that moment, the 41-year-old’s future was sealed.
She said: “I had been looking around for something to do that would let me work from home and allow me to have flexible working hours so I could still do things with my children.
“So when I discovered a website that said you could buy a minimum of five new designer bags through agents in Italy, I thought I could maybe sell four of them to friends and family in order to cover the cost of my own.
“The bags were such a hit that I bought another five and then I was buying 10 at a time. Suddenly I thought there could be something in this for me.”
In September last year, Gerry’s handbag sideline became Bagnificent, an internet business specialising in discount designer bags.
Gerry buys in brand new Prada, Gucci and Chloe bags from agents across Europe and then sells them on at a fraction of their retail value.
The bags have proved so successful that she has also now launched a range called LOVED, pre-owned bags that she sells for their owners.
“Both ranges have proved hugely popular,” she said. “Of course the bags I buy are not the most up to date, but that doesn’t matter to the customer.
“I can get them cheap because boutiques are trying to get rid of them so they can bring in the new season collection. But a classic black Fendi bag will do you for life, no matter what the season.
“I actually got the idea for selling on pre-owned bags from a few ladies I know on the school run.
“Every time I saw them, they would have a different bag, so I asked them what they did with the old ones.
“They all said they were just collecting dust, so I asked if I could have a go at selling them for them.
“The LOVED range took off from there and now I have women asking me to sell on bags they have never used.”
Gerry is loving running her own business from home and hopes it will continue to grow in years to come.
She said: “These bags could last you for life, but there are opportunities there for women to recycle and make a bit of money back on bags they have stashed away at the back of their wardrobes, so I do see Bagnificent being able to hold its own during the credit crunch.
“It is just as well for me that I didn’t choose to sell shoes instead, because I have such a passion for them I don’t know if I would have ever sold any on.”
And as far as Gerry is concerned, dealing in some of the world’s most beautiful handbags from the comfort of her own home is the perfect job.
She said: “I start work after I have dropped my children off to school. I usually work until my youngest is dropped off at 3.30pm, but the beauty of it is I can arrange my hours to suit whatever is happening in our lives.
“And like most women, there is a usually a considerable amount of multitasking going on.
“But I thoroughly enjoy it and wouldn’t want to go back to accountancy or an office for anything.”
To find out more about Bagnificent, visit www.bagnificent.co.uk
