Clothing boss takes on the country set
Traditional Borders clothing firm is embracing the digital world with a new managing director at the helm, writes
SHE is the business graduate who wasn’t afraid of hard work. And now her commitment has paid off as she has risen through the ranks to become the first female boss of a Borders country clothing store.
Established more than 90 years ago, A Hume is part of the fabric of Kelso life and is a tradition in the town with loyal customers.
However, in an ever-changing world, the country clothing firm has had to adapt, and never more so than this year.
Leading its transformation and online expansion is 29-year-old Rachel Thomson, who has taken over as managing director.
And she has not hung about in taking the business forward with the recent launch of its first catalogue and digital expansion.
The countrywear independent was bought by the Nuttall family earlier this year. They also own shares in Hawick-based knitwear producer William Lockie where Mrs Thomson’s father David Nuttall is the managing director.
“Dad always said it was a business he would love to buy and when the opportunity came up, he said it would be me that was going to run it,” said Mrs Thomson. “I did think to myself, how on earth am I going to be able to do that? It’s been a massive learning curve since I joined nine months ago.
“I felt under a huge amount of pressure but I was hugely excited. It was far more appealing than being just involved in manufacturing which is where I had been for many years. It was daunting as I am so young. I know manufacturing inside out, I didn’t know retail, but I am learning and here I am now.”
She was the brains behind the retailer’s first ever catalogue which went to print last month and has been well received, particularly amongst the younger clientele.
“I am very keen to keep the core values of A Hume but at the same time grow. We have had really positive feedback about the catalogue,” added Mrs Thomson. “Nobody in the country clothing game has produced a catalogue like this. I wanted to give it that coffee table feel which people would want in their homes. I might not have the long-established connection with A Hume but I do have that same passion for quality manufacturing, the Scottish Borders countryside, lifestyle and its people which is what A Hume stands for.”
A Hume was founded by Archie Hume’s grandfather, Arch in 1929. Archie took the reigns in 1987 and continues as the face of the business. His wife Karen, who is credited for successfully growing the retailer’s online platform, retired last month.
Born and bred in Hawick, Mrs Thomson spent four years at Edinburgh University studying psychology. With a desire to earn money and to afford to buy a car, she approached her dad to ask if there were any jobs at the mill.
Mrs Thomson added: “Dad warned me it would be hard work. I didn’t care as I had been a student for so long. It was 7am starts in the yarn store hoisting yarn around. I did this for two and half years, learning every single job in the factory.
“I then moved into the office which was meant to be a sales role but it was such a male dominated area. It still is. There are hardly any women in this industry in the Scottish Borders. I could see we weren’t doing any marketing at all, so I kind of carved a role in that department doing more social media, a catalogue and started to build relationships of my own.”
In just a few short months the business is already seeing gains despite being in the middle of a pandemic.
Mrs Thomson, who is married to former Melrose rugby captain, now Gala head coach, Fraser, added: “In October we were up 65 per cent online on last year and we have big plans including a European website. We hope this will lead to employment growth in the Scottish Borders.
“We also plan to increase digital training for our staff, allowing them to thrive and grow and get experience that is difficult to get in the local area without going to the cities. We also plan to add new quality country clothing brands to our collection. We want to be the go-to for country lifestyle. I would also love to dive into country home wear and have a home store.”