How I made it

December means hard work but it's a gift of a month for luxury store owner Trevor Pickett.

How did you get started in retail?
I left school at 16 in 1980 - I wasn't doing particularly well. I went for an interview at Unicorn in Burlington Arcade, owned by a fabulous, formidable woman called Miss Wales. I sat on the shop floor while I waited for her to interview me, but when it got busy I started serving customers. I sold a crocodile wallet for £125 and got the job. Two years later, aged 18, I became the manager, then in 1988 I bought the store.

How could you afford that?
My boss, Mr Meddings, sold it to me for £200,000. Four friends put in £40,000 each and I borrowed £160,000 from Barclays, using my small Chelsea flat as a guarantee.

How did you develop your business?
I hiked up the quality. I started buying more exotic goods made of sting ray, ostrich and crocodile, turning the shop into a luxury goods store. I introduced Georgina von Etzdorf in1994, with her fantastically coloured scarves and chests of drawers. She was on two covers of Vogue in one season, which gave us a tremendous boost.

What was your lucky break?
The pashmina. I went to a Paris show in 1998 and a lady called Bajra gave me 20 fabulous pashminas to sell for £350 each - it was before the time of the Oxford Street rip-offs. I managed to beat her down and retailed them successfully for £195. In the pashmina heyday we did a huge amount of advertising with magazines like Vogue and Esquire, which put us on the map. We still advertise, but we move a bit like an oil tanker when it comes to introducing new products, unlike high street fashion.

How long is your working day?
In the run-up to Christmas I work seven days a week, from 7.30am to 8pm, with no lunch break, fuelled by espresso, sherry and cigarettes. My desk is on the shop floor; I don't serve but guide, suggest and irritate.

What is your annual turnover?
Three million.

What is the secret of your success?
We are anti-logo, which has saved us from the fickleness of the fashion world. We have always been discreet about our branding as I want to emphasise that we are not selling a brand but a luxury product.

What was your biggest gamble?
I bought each of my three stores on gut reaction, rather than because of cash flow. I'd always wanted a shop next to Hermës, so when one came free in the City Royal Exchange building I bought it. We nearly had to close it down in 2003, as it was not performing. I had sleepless nights, but stuck it out and miraculously and mysteriously the tide turned.

What do you enjoy doing when you're not working?
I am running the Vienna marathon in April. It will be my sixth marathon.