Taylor and Whitlock ( jewellers in Berkshire ) was established back in 1982 by Mike Taylor (the current owner) and Glenn Whitlock

Back then they were carrying out jewellery repairs and alterations for over 25 retail outlets from Hartley Witney to Leatherhead, from their workshops in Camberley.

Business was booming, but with spiralling commercial rents, Mike saw an opportunity with the freehold premises in Crowthorne to take control of one of their major overheads, and maybe generate some retail income.

So in December 1989 the retail outlet Taylor and Whitlock was born. For any one that remembers that period it was also the start of a recession and by 1991 with interest rates peaking around 15% Mike had to wonder if the commercial mortgage was such a good idea after all!!

Things were getting tight and with the partners in disagreement on what course of action to take, dissolved the partnership, and Mike Taylor became the sole trader.

Mike hasn’t looked back since…Apprenticed to the queen’s goldsmiths Gerald Benney for 5 years; he has a real pedigree within the jewellery industry. His technical knowledge is vast and his manufacturing and design skills are second to none.

It is this knowledge that he strives to pass onto his staff in order that they too can offer the very highest level of service and expertise, from the shop in Crowthorne. Their aim has always been simple, and that is to be the best jewellers in Berkshire.

So here we find ourselves nearly 20 years on in a new and very different retail world. There are a whole new set of buzz words out there now like… “Online”,“microbranding”, “e-commerce”, “search engine” …. When we first started retailing the only search engine we had was found under the bonnet of the car that you would drive around to find that shop that you had looked up in the yellow pages!

So the order of the day in the retail word is very much sink or swim, because if you don’t make some drastic changes now you probably won’t have a business in 2 years time

Retail is changing, retail HAS changed. The new “global trading platform” IS affecting the look of the high street, with many retailers no longer able to eek out a living because of the competition brought about by Tim Burners’ Lee and his ferocious internet!

Today’s retailer has to be a very different person to his forefathers, no longer does he have to worry what so and so is doing in the next street, or village or town… Oh no today’s retailer has a much bigger competitor to think about….

………….Today’s retailer has also been given the most incredible marketing tool ever invented with which to promote and sell his products! Never before could you reach such a large audience for so little cost. For the modern retailer the world is literally their oyster!

Recognising the need for change TWJ (Taylor Whitlock Jewellery) has undergone a thorough makeover. A part of which sees the launch of their online ordering facility at www.twj.co.uk.

As always with TWJ (Taylor Whitlock Jewellery) service comes first. You can use our online shop to find that special piece of jewellery, and then feel free to contact the shop by phone for more information and make your payment. We see our online facilities as an extension to our shop counter, and somewhere you can expect the same courteous level of service.

We do not want our on-line shop to be one of those faceless shopping baskets, although secure online payment facilities are available.

TWJ… That is our brand, and we hope that along with the reputation that we have worked very hard to achieve over the past 20 years it will become synonymous with, Innovation, Style, and Creative Flair.

We would like to say a very special thanks to you, are loyal customers who have made it all possible, and without who we cannot survive.

Have we become the best jewellers in Berkshire ?? well you tell us and feel free to leave a comment on this blog.