FRESH from its second victory in succession as Retailer of the Year in the annual Fine Art Guild Awards, Castle Galleries, in the Coppergate Centre, York, is now pitching for the same title in the 2004 Evening Press Business Awards.

Castle Galleries has been in existence for seven years, but the York branch was established only two years ago by its managing director Ian Weatherby-Blythe, with the help of assistant manager Matthew Seddon, gallery manager Kate Durrant and Andrew Tessier.

Their policy of taking the elitism and snobbery out of art buying, so that customers genuinely become collectors, clearly works.

In the first year they set themselves the ambitious target of selling half a million pounds worth of art. In fact their turnover was £600,000.

This year they are confident of breaking the £700,000 barrier. Clients, they say, have ranged "from Counts to cleaners".

The marketing strategy has been successful, with a little help from GOD (Gallery Operational Database), which allows Castle Galleries to keep its clients in touch monthly with the latest stock and forthcoming exhibitions.

There is also a home approval service and a "buy back guarantee" which allows the customer to bring back a picture up to a month after purchase for a full refund or up to a year for an exchange.

Fine Art Guild Awards judges praised the quality of pictures, cost and knowledgeable sales service.

Its mystery shopper reported: "This was all about a solution. The art had to be right for the customer and fit the budget."

Updated: 09:43 Thursday, September 02, 2004