Let’s
How long have you been trading? Been trading since 1981. The shop has been here since 1910 and is the oldest going concern in Wandsworth. It has a large Ironmonger sign that goes across the building now 111years old that has been enhanced by chrome lettering and LED lights for the illuminating at night. The shop nearly tripled it selling space by having an extension built at the rear of the property nearly 10 years ago.
What are your opening hours? Mon-Sat 7.30am – 6pm, Sun 9am- 2pm
How many employees do you have? 5
Which is your busiest day? Monday
Do you have many regular customers? We have a lot of regulars but more trade (70%-30% Diyers)
When is your busiest time of year? Why do you think this is? It is busy all year round. We are a main Calor stockist so busy in winter for fires and summer for bbq gas. Plumbing and roofing materials in winter. Being a Dulux Trade stockist, we are busy in the summer.We have Dewalt Trade shows twice yearly so that enhances the figures at the end of the month. Also being on a busy high street you are going to get good footfall.
Do particular lines sell well at different times of year? If so, which ones?
Mostly all the products that we have, sell well and generally have good turnover of stock.
Do you encourage reps to visit? We always encourage reps to pop in and try not to make
appointments because that never works!
How do you follow up if a product catches your eye? I frequent the trade show scene and make contact either by wholesaler or direct depending on what the product is.
Why do you deal with particular tool companies?
Mostly all tools we have are branded and in demand so we endeavour to stock and sell competitively.
telephone 01444 440188
How would a company with good products to sell come to your notice?
If the company has high quality tools then most of the time they also have good displaying power. So at shows when they set up, it looks eye catching and then you think. “How I can replicate that in our shop”? Although space is an issue!
Do you have a surprising ‘best seller’? If so what is it? We carry 35,000 lines of products so it is very difficult to find a best seller.We try to offer best deals on hand tools and power tools and use them as “bait” so that customers buy other lines. We did have a DeWalt drill bit set some time back and managed to sell 130 units in a month!
What changes are afoot? We have just started to trade online and have plans for extending the business at another location.
How do you see the future of the tool trade? You will always need tools. Take for instance the Fein multimaster – this has become a must have for all builders which can do 100’s of tasks all in one kit. Now they have evolved with a cordless system which is fantastic quote “Andy from Fein” sitting next to me!
Do you have a ‘Top Tip’? Always meet and greet customers – very basic but very necessary.
Name: Bob Singh Company: Russells Trade & DIY Address: 46 Upper Tooting Road, Tooting, Wandsworth, London, SW17 7PD. Phone/fax: 0208 672 1576 / 0208 672 3515 Email:
sales@russellsdiy.co.uk
ToolBUSINESS+HIRE 3
Reply No. 206
TalkShop!
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