Dancia originated in Brighton
in 1947, when it became the first specialist dancewear shop to open outside
London. The present owners, Tim and Diane Kirkup, purchased the business
in 1983 and have developed it substantially. In addition to traditional
dance clothing and footwear, the merchandise range has been broadened
to include an impressive range of shoes for Ballroom, Latin, Salsa, Jive
and Argentine Tango.
Dancia prides itself on the quality and range of products it stocks.
The staff are extensively trained and they believe that they offer the
best Pointe shoe fitting in the country.
Dancia customers are served through a network of shops, mail order service
and personal visits to colleges and companies, supplying top West End
shows and dance companies. They pride themselves on having fitted shoes
on some of the best dancers in the country.
The company has a head office in Portslade, just outside Brighton; this
is also the base for Gaynor Minden UK as Dancia are the UK distributors
of these revolutionary pointe shoes and lovely garments.
Dancia shops are located in London Drury Lane, Epsom, Ewell Village,
Slough, Brighton, Nottingham and Norwich. Most of these shops are franchises
and Dancia have the only dance shop franchise in the UK, giving people
the opportunity to become their own boss in the growth market.
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| Tim & Diane Kirkup |
Diane is effectively the founder of Dancia International. It was her decision to acquire the original Dancia shop. Formerly a professional dance teacher and a nursery school principal, it was an obvious progression for someone from a "family retail business background”. Her main responsibilities include the researching of quality manufacturers, developing new own brand garments and shoes, advertising and all aspects of the franchise from interviewing prospective franchisers through to a new shop opening!
Tim Kirkup, B.Sc. / MANAGING DIRECTOR
Tim is again from a family business background, a former civil engineer
who gave up that profession in 1984 to devote his full-time attention
to Dancia. He is responsible for financial management and it was he
who introduced computerized till and stock control systems throughout
our chain of stores.
Beverley is Tim and Diane's daughter. She trained as a dancer at the Legat School and on leaving was soon involved in the growing business, firstly in Brighton and then as manageress of the London Drury Lane shop when it first opened. With time out teaching in Madrid and then running her own business in the USA, Beverly has returned to Dancia. With her energy and enthusiasm she has taken over much of the day to day buying and also a franchisee herself!