Roca | ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE
JAMIE WELCH, ROCA UK
Retail success: it’s all in the detail
From partnering with the right suppliers to having a solid digital presence, Jamie Welch, sales director Roca UK, outlines how independents can stay on top while faced with the challenges 2023 may bring
W
hile it may seem like standard practice, when things get challenging taking the time to perfect your supplier base can often take a back seat.
However, making sure you’re partnered with the right suppliers can be the key to success. Start by doing some due diligence and taking the time to learn about each supplier, including their history and their values. It’s just as important to understand their sales and support structure, so that if you commit to their brand, you’ll know what to expect in return. As an example, some suppliers have fantastic products, but on occasion overlook the commercial strategy or route to market required to reach their full potential. In this fast-changing and challenging climate, good brands should be regularly reassessing how they can support their retailers. For instance, this year we’ve launched a new showroom partner programme to ensure we have a partnering solution suitable for any size of bricks-and-mortar retailer. It’s also sensible for retailers to visit their suppliers’ premises so they can view the products from all angles, ask questions and get a feel for the business they’re looking to partner with.
At the Roca UK headquarters in Bardon, Leicestershire, we welcome numerous retailers each week. This gives us the opportunity to explain our structure and them the chance to meet key representatives from across the business. Visitors also spend a lot of time in our showroom, which features more than 50 displays. They can touch and feel the products, which gives them confidence in the quality of what we manufacture as well as in the design and style. This is crucial for bricks-and-mortar retailers who thrive on their reputation, which is only as good as the products they sell and the service they give.
improved user experience. For example, Roca brassware features Cold Start technology, which reduces CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and can potentially save money on household energy bills. Technologically advanced products also include those made of innovative materials. Ona, the latest collection by Roca, includes basins made of Fineceramic®
. Thanks to the durability of the material Ona basins have super- thin sides – just 8mm thick – which creates more usable space in the bowl.
Good brands should regularly reassess how they can support their retail partners
Invest in technologically advanced products Customers’ budgets will be squeezed during the next 12 months, but they might be willing to invest in bathroom and kitchen renovations because they know these will add value to their property. With this in mind, retailers should be focusing on products that are technologically advanced as these will offer an
THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY FOR RETAILERS IN 2023 IS...
REFLECT AND REVIEW It’s easy to get consumed with the day-to-day running of your business. Every so often, I recommend taking a step back to reflect on its progress and to create time (and head space) to prepare a plan for moving forwards.
December 2022 · 51
Invest in a digital presence If you’re in the fortunate position of having a full diary with months’ worth of work secured through recommendations, that’s great. But don’t leave it to chance! Now would be the time to make sure your digital presence is as strong as it needs to be. To be clear, I don’t necessarily mean setting up a transactional website to sell products online. I mean making sure your digital shop window – your website and social media – is doing the job it should do for your business. After all, this is often the first interaction potential customers will have with a retail business and ultimately, digital activity is there to prompt customers to make contact. Retailers’ websites, for example, need to be interesting enough to capture consumers’ attention. To achieve this, sites should be rich in content with client testimonials, up-to-date reviews and images of completed projects. Good supply partners can support this with fantastic digital assets and can also work with retailers to maximise reach.
By making sure that they’re up to date with all the latest product innovations and technological advances and that they can convey these to consumers, bricks-and-mortar retailers can set themselves apart from their competitors.
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