Isle of Wight town centre clothing business celebrates 40 years

Visual Impact, with stores in Watchbell Lane, Newport, was launched by Steve Robson 40 years ago earlier this month.

"It's been a long journey and there have been ups and downs but we're chuffed to have hit the milestone", Steve told the County Press.

When he first started out in 1985, Steve recalls his main customer being clubbers.

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Steve Robson outside the Visual Impact menswear store (Image: IWCP) "Clubbers were coming in Friday afternoon and buying something for the weekend", he said, "99 per cent of my stuff was bought to wear that night."

Whether it was "luck or judgement", in around 1986, about a month before the famous Nick Kamen washing machine TV advert came out, Steve took on famous brand Levis.

The day after it aired, customers were queueing in the street and Steve sold 30 pairs of Levi jeans, which remains a record to this day.

The business was also the fourth or fifth in the country to stock Diesel jeans, and was also buying Ted Baker shirts off Ray Kelvin, the company's CEO at the time.

"We were there when menswear brands really took off", Steve said.

Around four of five years after the opening of the men's store, Steve expanded the business, adding the ladies' shop, but remembers being surprised by the different shopping habits.

"Men buy a t-shirt when the sun's shining and a rain coat when it starts raining ten minutes later. Women think a bit further forward!", he said.

The County Press's article on Visual Impact when it celebrated 30 years (Image: IWCP) Steve Robson in 1990 (Image: IWCP) Fast forward to 2025 and one of the business's most popular assets is the suit shop, also based off Watchbell Lane.

While many retailers have turned to online, Steve has focussed on good service, having a lot of stock and evolving with the industry.

"The most important thing is change all the way through from day one", he said.

"So that's what we've done. As something's tailed off we've filled it with something else.

"We're quicker than the internet because customers can walk in and five minutes later they're walking out with something that they know fits them and they've had a good service."

Despite turning 40, the business still has a "young mind", Steve said, and he will continue trying to bring new fashion to the Island.

"We want to offer more brands, the same service and hopefully we'll be celebrating 50 years."