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ANALYSIS
Maplin owner excited by ‘huge potential’ of online business
“The store group is robust but we have further to go in improving the online proposition” By Dominic Sacco
RUTLAND Partners, the new owner of Maplin, has told PCR that the UK electronics retailer can become a force in the etail space.
The turnaround specialist, whose portfolio includes Pizza Hut and Bernard Matthews, acquired Maplin from Montague Private Equity in an £85 million deal in late June. Nick Morrill, managing partner at Rutland, said at the time he was delighted with the progress Maplin’s management had made in the recovery of the business, but highlighted “the potential skill to be unlocked”. Speaking exclusively to PCR about those specifi c ambitions for the retailer in the future, Morrill said: “In the case of Maplin, it’s about establishing a clear brand awareness of what Maplin stands for, what its customer proposition needs to be, and it is also about making sure that whether you are a customer online or in-store, you have the same experience. “It’s no secret the store group is very robust and very successful at the moment, and we have further to go in terms of improving the online proposition. One of the key focuses will clearly be to improve the online proposition and ultimately create a full omnichannel retailer. And it’s certainly where we want Maplin to be. And at the moment it’s overly dependent on its stores business, and it has huge potential that’s untapped within the online proposition.” What about the product mix, then? Maplin is a very well established electronics retailer, having started as a small mail order business in 1972 to grow to a national
www.pcr-online.biz News bytes
GOODRAM HOPES TO CRACK UK MARKET Eastern European memory supplier and RAM vendor GoodRAM is seeking
distributors to help it break into the UK market.
Parent company Wilk Elektronik started out as a memory distributor in Poland 25 years ago before launching its own brand GoodRAM in 2003. It now has more than 40 per cent market share in Poland with the GoodRAM memory modules and also sells into neighboring countries Ukraine, Hungary, Russia and more.
MICROSOFT POSTS Q4
FINANCIAL RESULTS Microsoft announced it had made $23.38 billion in revenue for the quarter ending June 30th 2014.
The tech giant saw profi ts fall to $4.61 billion or 55 cents a share, down from $4.96 billion a year ago. Its gross margin and operating income for Q4 stood at $15.79 million, and $6.48 billion respectively.
chain with more than 210 stores in the UK and Ireland. It is known for its wide range of tech products and electronics parts, as well as its expert advice. However, will this change in the future? “There’s a big push in terms of merchandising, expansion
Maplin has more than 210 stores across the UK and Ireland, and hopes to grow its online operations The typical Maplin
categories where the average Maplin customer will recognise that’s what they go to Maplin for, and they want to have the maximum amount of choice and price point choice in that category. “We are steering a very careful path away from just
“Maplin is overly dependent on its stores business. It has huge untapped
potential in its online proposition.” Nick Morrill, Rutland Partners
of the product range, reengaging on being more innovative and having a fi rst mover status in certain product categories, but at the same time not having a product mix that takes you away from that ‘fi rst in and last out’ theme that Maplin became synonymous with,” Morrill explains.
“What we’re really going to do is support [Maplin CEO] John Cleland and his strategy here. We intend to help them deliver some category ownership in targeted
‘me too’ products which are hugely price competitive, whether in Maplin’s physical stores or online. “So for example
smartphones, tablets, plasma TV screens – that’s not the stuff we should be doing. “What we should be doing is the stuff that the average Maplin customer really wants to engage with because he wants help or advice or solutions to his problems. “We will really reengage with that traditional type of Maplin customer.”
customer is loyal, especially in today’s age of discount internet retailing, with Maplin recording more than 25 million customer visits every year.
So what’s next for Maplin going forwards?
“The company right now is growing fantastically,” explains Morrill.
“It has had its best trading period since 2006/2007. If you take the last fi ve or six quarters on like-for-like comparisons, it is absolutely beginning to get transaction in the wider market.
“Clearly where we’d like to be 12 months out from here, is a sustained delivery of that trend.
“I think the fi rst priority is doing the things we need to do better internally, and there are a number of those, and secondly, really begin to drive the wider perception of what Maplin has to offer.
“And if that then translates into another four or fi ve quarters of sustainable growth, then we will be extremely well placed.”
EXERTIS MICRO P’S
CLASSROOM SOLUTION Distributor Exertis Micro-P has announced a promotion around Samsung’s interactive classroom solution. The promotion focuses on Samsung’s 65-inch large format display, giving schools and universities the option between a four-point and six-point touch overlay and education software.
GENIUS SIGNS DEAL
WITH NORTHAMBER Distributor Northamber has signed a deal with Genius GX Gaming to supply its entire range of PC gaming accessories in the UK. The GX Gaming line includes keyboards, mice, headsets, speakers, mouse mats and laptop bags.
DIREKTEK SUPPLIES
FITNESS WEARABLES Distributor DirekTek has signed deals with Garmin and Soleus to supply their wearable tech products in the UK.
The Garmin Vivofi t activity tracker is a ‘wellness band’ that assigns a personalised daily goal and displays steps, calories, distance and monitors sleep. It also pairs with a heart rate monitor for various fi tness activities.
PCR August 2014 | 7
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