Spotlight on independent retailers: The Dressing Room

The Dressing Room in St Albans has won many accolades as a prime independent retail destination and continues to lead the way as one of the most innovative and customer-centric stores in the country. It was launched by Deryane Tadd, whose retail career started on the shop floor as sales assistant, advancing to store and area manager to running French Connection Franchises as buying and operations director for seven years, before she took the plunge and opened her own boutique in 2005 - and never looked back. The business expanded quickly, moving into a larger high street location just 18 months after opening, and its website was launched three years later. Almost 14 years into trading, the store is going from strength to strength and Tadd is widely recognised not only as one of the key retailers in the UK, but also as a champion for independent business. FashionUnited finds out what drives the success of the store.