Alan Payling visits The Famous Lee Mill in South Devon, part of the Edinburgh Woollen Mill group, finding lots on offer for coach passengers – including a warm welcome and a warm feeling inside if they have a wee dram during their visit. Drivers are also looked after but they have to make do with a nice cuppa – along with a few other perks
For many in the coach trade, the name ‘Edinburgh Woollen Mill’ will be very familiar to them from their travels in Scotland. Wherever they’re on tour north of the border, tour drivers can rest assured that there will be a warm welcome for them and their passengers in one of the company’s many outlets, scattered conveniently throughout the Highlands and Lowlands. There will be many who have been grateful for the company’s facilities – geared as they are towards catering for the coach trade – when they’re taking the high road alongside the lochs and through the glens of Scotland.
When those same tour drivers take the much lower road through South Devon, they are all too often unaware that the same company – with the same facilities, the same warm welcome and the same generous offer for their patronage – awaits them on one of the main routes through the area.
I am talking here about Edinburgh Woollen Mill’s ‘The Famous Lee Mill’ outlet on the A38 Devon Expressway, situated handily betwixt and between Plymouth and Torbay. It’s not hard to miss Lee Mill, the outlet, as it is located in Lee Mill, the village, just off the A38. Given that this stretch of the A38 is the main conduit for coach parties heading to and from Plymouth from their holiday hotels in Torquay, Paignton and Exmouth, it’s a handy stop off to provide passengers with the chance to pick up a bargain, a holiday gift, a bite to eat or, if the driver has called ahead to organise a complimentary whisky tasting, a wee dram. For those familiar with how Edinburgh Woollen Mill looks after drivers, all the usual perks are on offer at Lee Mill; for drivers who are new to this emporia, joining the company’s coach drivers’ Travel Club is very easy and can be done as soon as they visit. [wlm_nonmember][…]
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Where and when to go
The store is handily placed on the A38 east of Plymouth. After a few hours in the city, Lee Mill is a handy stop on the way back to Torbay or Exmouth. For excursions taking in Dartmoor, to save those who have reached Princetown or Tavistock going back to Torbay or East Devon across the moor, if they head south to pick up the A38 the group can have a short snooze while the coach cruises along the dual carriageway before stopping off at Lee Mill.
For groups that are visiting Buckfast Abbey, travelling on the steam train at Buckfastleigh or have stopped off in Totnes, Lee Mill is only a short drive from all those popular locations. For drivers with foreign groups on board, Lee Mill is ideally placed for a quick stop and shop when they’re heading down into Cornwall.
Stopping, dropping, parking and access
Finding Lee Mill couldn’t be easier; eastbound traffic only has to pull off the A38 and the Lee Mill store is immediately on the right-hand side. Westbound, turn right under the A38 then a left and the store is on the left. Access is no problem, even for the biggest coaches, and passengers can be dropped right outside the main entrance to the ground floor. There are some nine bays for coaches – so there should be no problem parking. The store is on two floors but while it doesn’t have a lift, there is a ramp outside that will enable the driver to help anyone in a wheelchair or with limited mobility to visit all parts of the store.
Shopping
But first, the passengers: what’s on offer for them? As the name suggests, this is a very well-known and popular national retail outlet, with lots of name recognition that will reassure passengers as to the quality of the merchandise on offer. The emphasis here is on good quality goods at reasonable prices, and there is quite a range available. Given that so many women go away on coach holidays, Lee Mill will be an ideal stop allowing them to have a good look at what’s on the racks. The men aren’t neglected either; I spotted a pair of good quality navy cord trousers that I thought were well priced at £30.00 amongst the menswear. When I checked, M&S were asking £39.50 for a very similar product. I feel sure the experienced shopper will spot other savings.
If it’s not clothes that catch their eye, then maybe the children’s clothing might tempt passengers to buy something for the grandchildren. There is plenty to choose from in the housewares and soft furnishings department too, with a wide range of towels, curtains, bedding and cushions and such like to take home on the coach. If it’s gifts they’re looking for then, again, there’s plenty to choose from displayed around the store – whether that be chocolates, jewellery or, you guessed it, shortbread. One other very welcome gift offering might be a bottle or two to put in the case. As mentioned above, if the driver has called ahead to organise a whisky tasting, the group can savour a complimentary wee dram of some of the booze on the shelves. A taste of Pastures Irish Country Cream will no doubt go down very nicely, as would a shot of Lauders Blended Scotch Whisky. There is also a range of other local brews to choose from, including a bottle of Hunters Brewery’s ‘Crispy Pig’ ale or their ‘Devon Dreamer’ bitter. Of course, in addition to wine from nearby Lyme Bay Wines in Dorset, there is the chance to take home some real Devon scrumpy.
If the driver thinks their passengers might have problems getting their purchases into the case they brought with them on holiday, Lee Mill will be able to help out given the range of good value luggage on offer. Something else to point out to passengers – as Lee Mill is part of a national group – if anyone wanted to change what they’d bought, they have 30 days to go to any Edinburgh Woollen Mill branch with their receipt and they can get a refund.
The same applies should anyone find fault with their purchases. A comforting thought when shopping far away from home, so you won’t have to take them back to Devon.
Also, for anyone with a non-EU group, the driver could do all parties a very big favour by reminding their passengers to make sure they get an itemised VAT receipt at the checkout. Then, when they get to the airport en route to China say, they can claim back the VAT. No doubt the groups of people who can claim the VAT back will be increasing in the not too distant future post Brexit.
The restaurant
Once everyone has sorted out their shopping, the 100-seat in house restaurant can provide a range of reasonably priced refreshments and food – breakfasts start at £3.50. Light snacks and main meals are available at lunch time and in the afternoon, and there is a range of gorgeous looking cakes and fabulous scones for that all important cream tea.
The driver’s benefits
Given that the driver won’t be partaking in the whisky tasting, they can console themselves with the £10.00 food and drink voucher they receive to spend in the restaurant, which they can use to purchase items to eat in or to take away. In addition, drivers receive a 20% discount on all their in store purchases. So those cord trousers I mentioned above would end up costing a driver only £24.00.
However, the very real benefit for drivers comes with their membership of the company’s ‘Simply The Best’ coach drivers’ Travel Club, which is valid at some 28 outlets throughout England, Wales and (mainly) Scotland. The benefit here is that drivers receive 10% commission on all retail sales to members of their group – but not on restaurant purchases. This can be paid in cash on the day or is credited to their accounts via their credit card-style membership card. When drivers arrive at the store, the first thing they should request is to be signed in on the company’s computer via their membership card. This then logs the sales of their group and works out the commission. Traditionally, drivers who visit the group’s stores on a regular basis have let the commission build up. This is then paid in a lump sum via a cheque in time for Christmas. Drivers who move house – or who have moved – are well advised to let the company know of a change of address.
So how much can a driver make here? Well, have you got a piece of string? You might need a long one if you’ve visited regularly with lots of happy shoppers on board. I was told that some drivers have received ‘healthy cheques’ in time for their own Christmas shopping and that there is ‘real potential’ for drivers to do well out of their visits. Non-members, when they arrive, can be signed up there and then to the Travel Club and they will be making commission from their first visit onwards.
A friendly place with some friendly faces
Unlike other places that welcome coach parties almost as an afterthought, for Lee Mill, looking after drivers and their passengers is central to their business model. And it shows, particularly in the attitude of the staff. I’ve visited Lee Mill over many years and, while staff at some companies have almost resented having to look after drivers, the staff at Lee Mill recognise how important they are to their business. That will mean that the passengers are looked after too. So whenever one of your coaches stops off there, whether it be as part of an itinerary or as an on spec stop, then you can rest assured that as part of a national group, your passengers will receive a warm welcome with the offer of great service and a bargain to put a smile on their face. A wee dram helps too.
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