Flexible Working Helps Nottinghamshire Employee Develop Own Lifestyle Brand

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 3 November 2016

UPDATED: 4 November 2016

As an estimated 14.1 million people in Britain want flexibility in their working hours or location, equivalent to almost half the working population, Nottingham employer Domestic & General’s flexible working policy has allowed one employee the chance to develop, and now expand, his own clothing line.

                                                          Jahred Harris at Leicester Fashion Week with Abenzi runway models

Abenzi, led by Domestic & General employee Jahred Harris, was launched last year and has seen the brand grow from strength-to-strength over the last 18 months. And the team are now celebrating the launch of three new product lines at a special runway show during Leicester Fashion Week (19 – 22 October).

Jahred, who is a team leader at Domestic & General, has been working in the Nottingham contact centre since 2002 and says that the flexibility in his shift pattern has allowed him the opportunity to grow the brand around his work commitments at the appliance care firm.

Speaking about Abenzi’s development, Jahred said:

“Abenzi apparel was born out of my family’s record label during 2015 as we were clear we wanted to achieve a specific look when promoting our music, but noticed a gap in the brand to accomplish this effectively.

“It is standard for designers to use their name for their label, which we have done in part, as Abenzi is my middle name. It’s something a little different and it really builds upon our ethos of fashion with flair.”

Jahred’s flexible shift pattern, which he agrees with the business, is one of the contributing factors towards the rapid expansion of the brand.

Jahred said:

“Every free minute I have including breaks and lunches I utilise to develop the brand. When I get home I generally spend around another seven hours cultivating the Abenzi brand and another seven hours per day on my days off. It’s something that I work incredibly hard on and is a real passion of mine, so being able to plan shifts at Domestic & General around my needs for Abenzi is something that is quite uncommon but really valuable in an employer.

“The team at Domestic & General have been incredibility supportive as I have developed this venture. A number of the models I use for the brand actually work at Domestic & General too. The flexibility of my role at Domestic & General has offered me the opportunity to expand the Abenzi label in a way I may not have otherwise been able to do.”

Building upon the success of rave reviews at Nottingham Fashion Week in April, Abenzi is looking to expand into retailers and internationally over the coming months.

             Abenzi at Leicester Fasion Week

Brona Ratcliife, Head of HR Contact Centres said:

“We need to be there for our customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week so it is really important that we have enthusiastic, helpful employees available to assist our customers, but they also need to feel that they are well supported in their personal commitments outside of the company.

“We understand the importance of a work/life balance so by supporting flexibility, we can ensure our employees feel more energised and enjoy coming to work.

“Our employees are at the heart of Domestic & General and the energy of our employees drives the business forward.”

To find out more about Abenzi, visit abenzi.co.uk.

Employing more than 960 people in the Nottingham office, Domestic & General provides appliance care services for UK and International clients and comprehensive product protection for more than 16 million customers. It has four UK offices, in Brighton, Bedworth and Nottingham with its headquarters in Wimbledon.

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