Shepton Mallet Nub News aims to be supportive to every element of the town's community from business and shops to people and charities, clubs and sports organisations.

Everyone is finding it tough at the moment and is desperate to get back to normal.

We are profiling some of these local businesses and groups regularly over coming weeks in a feature called UP CLOSE IN SHEPTON MALLET in the hope that we can be a supportive springboard for their full return to business as usual.

Today we talk to Anabel Sexton, the founder of Shepton Mallet sportswear firm Boudavida, who shares her thoughts on working in the town and her plans for the future.

During an in-depth Q and A session she also talks about how the coronavirus lockdown has been a mixed blessing for the business.

• ****

Tell us how did you come to start the business in Shepton Mallet, and what were the key considerations about being located here?

I initially started Boudavida from my home in Pylle, but when I realised that I needed to employ some more people I looked for a larger office that was good value, plus convenient enough for me to do the school run and get to work on time. Shepton Mallet was the perfect solution.

My first office was above the lovely shops in Kilver Court, and I had a warehouse unit at the Anglo Trading Estate, but when Boudavida grew, we moved around the corner to the larger Charlton Trading Estate. This location is where we are now, and it suits us perfectly.

Tell us a bit about your personal business background Anabel and how you ended up running Boudavida?

I have always been passionate about sport, and so decided that I wanted to make my career in the sports industry. I have worked for companies like IMG managing professional golfers and Adidas as the communications director for their golf business, so I knew how the "sporting goods" industry worked.

Then after an extended career break to raise my kids, I decided to set up on my own to see if I could create a brand from scratch. I was inspired by the amazing This Girl Can ad campaign run by Sport England, which encourages women to get out and participate.

I wanted my brand to do the same, and so I decided to do two things: firstly, create sympathetically-designed clothing that for all body shapes - not just skinny, athletic ones; and secondly to donate five per cent of my sales to women's sports projects.

What do you like about Shepton Mallet? Are you involved in the local community at all, if so how?

Shepton Mallet is a hidden gem. I think a lot of people drive through it on their way to somewhere else, or maybe only visit to shop at Tesco; however, it has a fascinating history and some incredibly beautiful architecture.

There are also some good facilities and events. I play squash at the leisure centre and golf at Mendip, and I always try and go to the Mid Somerset Show.

It might be an unfair question, but who is your typical customer, and what are they usually looking for? How would you describe the business and what makes Boudavida different?

We created our brand to appeal to women of every shape, size and age, so it's difficult to give you a typical customer that fits into a traditional demographic. Most customers who buy from us appreciate the fact that not everything is skin tight and revealing.

Many of our items are designed with sympathetic styling that flatters rather than exposes. This design ethos gives women the self-confidence to get out there and exercise, without fear of being judged on how they look. This is part of our USP, and we get great feedback on it.

Our collections range widely from high-performance activewear to more casual athleisure, including everything from leggings to sports bras to jackets. We try to cater for as many types of activity as we can and are continually developing our range of activewear.

What other businesses do you like and use in Shepton Mallet?

On a personal level, I often find some real gems in the antique shops in the High Street, and I love the Shepton Mallet market.

As a business, we do all our bespoke embroidery and screen printing at Notice-Me Logos, and we use our neighbours on the Charlton Estate, Burton Sweet as our accountants. We also often meet clients at the Sharpham Pantry at Kilver Court.

The lockdown has been very difficult for all types of business. How has it impacted on you, and what are your plans and timings?

Lockdown has been a mixed blessing for us. It forced us to close our outlet shop at Clarks Village in Street, which I am sad about, however, on the other hand, our online sales have taken off like never before as more people are exercising at home.

The pandemic has encouraged people to spend more time in comfortable leggings instead of business suits.

It has also caused us problems with our supply chain, so the new range that we were due to launch this autumn won't be with us until January, but that has also allowed us to clear some of our older stock. So while we have faced significant challenges, on balance we will hopefully come out of this pandemic stronger than before.

Do you have any plans to grow the business?

We have plans to grow our business, but despite what other brands are doing in our sector, we are not trying to build it up and sell it within a couple of years. We want to grow it organically, steadily and sustainably.

Our original business model was to supplement our online business by opening stores around the country, but we have had to adapt due to the challenges of high street retail, and now we are 100 per cent focused on growing our e-commerce channel.

How do you keep up with changing fashions?

We have an excellent in-house designer called Ada-Jane, who keeps a keen eye on what is going on in the sportswear industry and within the fashion world. She not only looks at style but also at colour palettes and prints.

Her designs are a combination of practicality and style, and they are all rigorously tested before we launch to ensure they are fit for purpose.

Have you and your business won any awards from the industry - can you tell us about those and what they were for?

We were finalists for the Bath Life Awards in 2019 and won Best Small Activewear Retailer 2020 in the Southern Enterprise Awards.

• ****

Check out the Boudavida website here, as well as the company's Facebook page here and its Instagram account here.

• ****

See our other UP CLOSE Shepton Mallet profiles:

Kelly Davies of Kelly J Photography

Hannah Bennett of Rainbow Rebel

Shepton Mallet's Fairy Godmother Helen Reader

Would you like to be the subject of an UP CLOSE profile or do you know someone who we should feature? Contact [email protected].