the BIG interview
‘You have to innovate, to do things differently’
Avensys managing director Markus Wood spoke to IER editor Gregor Muir about offering difference and bringing smart home to a broader market
A
s we tour around the 40,000 square foot site on the Manor Royal Business District in
Crawley that houses the Avensys retail superstore, commercial install and live events company, the impression is of a business with a desire to continually improve and grow. It has been an impressive journey since the company was founded in 2000 by managing director Markus Wood. Initially the company focused on the events and commercial side of the business, with the first retail site opening in Copthorne in 2003. The expertise developed by the commercial arm led to the natural evolution into advising and selling audio and hi-fi products to consumers. As the company grew, acquiring additional
warehouse space and opening Crawley’s Panasonic Store along the way, the decision was made to move into the current premises in 2014, drawing the various elements of the business together onto one site. The ground floor of the retail space has been laid out by brand, providing ‘shop in shops’ for companies including Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Sony, Smeg, Miele, Neff, Bosch, Hotpoint, Siemens and Fisher & Paykel, with an installation from Witt coming in the near future. “We had invested a lot in the Panasonic store
brand,” Markus explains. “But the model of just selling one brand has limits, so while we wanted to bring that area in this store, we had to think about how else we do the other elements.
The conversation we have
up here is not, ‘How much is that TV?’ It’s, ‘I want that’
“It was a case of going to each brand, saying
we want to dedicate the space in store. Other retailers have done shop in shops, but the other sections are like a normal shop floor, so all the laundry together, the refrigeration together, and the TV as a section, and we wanted to do something a bit different.” The idea of doing things differently extends
throughout the business. Among the branded areas downstairs is a listening room with
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connected technology from Control4, Dolby Atmos and 5.1 or 4.1 surrounds, which can be closed off from the rest of the store so a customer can pick out an amplifier and speakers and have a listen. “You have to be able to show products off,” Markus explains. There is also a golf simulator on the ground
floor. “It’s another reason for people to spend time in store,” Markus says. “It gets different footfall through the store, and when we hold events it gives us another thing to play with. It’s a bit of theatre, a bit of fun.” Having started with commercial AV, the
expertise in audio technology and hi-fi has always been a strength for the retail arm. “Bowers & Wilkins and Kef are probably the main audio brands we do; I’m a believer in local business, and they’re in Maidstone and Worthing, so half an hour away from here,” Markus says. “We do Pioneer, Yamaha, all the proper components, doing entry up to high end. We also do the NAS (network-attached storage) boxes, and we’ve got a few round the store. We have about four Wi-Fi networks just for the store, because you want everything to work perfectly when you’re doing these demonstrations.” He continues: “We started doing white goods because we were missing out when we were
doing a house or an installation. Now we can offer that whole package, not just the more occasional customer with a media room.” The approach to white goods has mirrored the approach to brown; if you’re going to do it, you may as well do it properly. “In the downstairs Miele area we have all the
ovens fully working, and the hygiene standards to do cooking in store – we might have product guys in from the brand, but at a minimum our guys will be making cookies or baking a loaf of bread, so we have all the ingredients back here,” Markus says. “The coffee machine is usually running at the weekend as well, and you’ve got those nice smells in store.”
Thinking smart
While the business is continually being developed, the major focus this year has been in the upstairs Avensys Smart Home. The space incorporates a kitchen, bar, living rooms, bathroom and home theatre, integrating the technology into a home environment with a complete suite of appliances, ready to be demonstrated to customers. Markus comments: “The Smart Home is a
different environment. You get people off the shop floor, into a place with a bit of room, to really experience the product. You can really
October 2016
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