Better buying
Cut costs on essentials such as exercise books and pens with the ‘own-brand’ range from YPO. Head of Trading Richard Tinker explains
BETTER-VALUE BUYING Y Q
PO introduced its own-brand range in 2008 to provide customers with a low-cost alternative to leading brands
without compromising on quality. This year, YPO has added new and improved versions of popular products such as colouring pens and whiteboard markers. The own-brand range started with
stationery and arts-and-crafts products but due to its success and increased demand the range has been extended to include curriculum and sports resources. It now features more than 1,300 items, all sourced by YPO’s in-house buyers.
What sort of products are available in the range?
A The range is always expanding but covers essential products such as
office stationery, through to curriculum products such as a sequencing and coding mat for computer science, which is proving popular. We have also introduced Early Years products such as jumbo crayons, which, as you would expect of YPO, meet the stringent requirements for this market but at a great price!
Q A Our team of dedicated category
buyers works closely with suppliers, A We recognise that schools may not have the time or resources to be able
Who helps to create the curriculum resources?
customers and education experts to develop products that meet the requirements of the market. Developing an idea through gap analysis, changes to the curriculum, or Department of Education initiatives are part and parcel of daily working for the procurement
to check their existing branded products against the YPO own-brand range. Therefore, YPO offers a benchmarking service – provide us with your existing requirements and our experienced team will cross reference with our own-brand range. We will then provide you with the potential savings that could be achieved.
team. Product development sits squarely with the category buyers but there are other teams, from marketing to supply chain, who are involved in the process to ensure that YPO can deliver a quality product at the right price when required. One of our products, Brain Boosters,
which encourages class interaction at the beginning and end of lessons, received a ‘Highly Commended’ at the Education Resources Awards in 2017.
Q
How much money are we likely to save?
A On a typical basket of goods that includes 11 popular products
covering stationery and arts and crafts, customer save a massive 54%. The two most popular products by volume are YPO address labels, pack of 250 (product code 718610) and YPO shatter-resistant rule, pack of 10 (product code 756563), of which we sell over 130,000 units combined. Our current range of popular own-brand products are available in our handy ‘Own Brand Essentials 2018’ and ‘Own Brand Curriculum 2018’ brochures.
Q
Is it easy to see what cost savings we can make?
Q
Are there any other tools that make it quick to select products?
A YPO wants to help the customer to choose the correct product as quickly
and easily as possible. One example of this is our exercise book selector tool. There are approximately 350 books in the range, and this can be daunting. To select the correct book, customers simply input some straightforward information on our website and the applicable range that meets their requirements is displayed.
Q
Sounds too good to be true! Are there any hidden costs?
A No! Because YPO is public-sector owned it is our ethos to be open
and transparent with both customers and suppliers. YPO is a not-for-profit organisation and any profits we make are redistributed back into the public sector. As part of this, we offer a loyalty scheme where schools who have bought from YPO receive a voucher each year to spend on YPO products. The amount received is based on how much they have spent with us. We also offer a free next-day delivery service (on request) for stock items, and stock items have a 12-month ‘no quibble’ returns guarantee.
YPO OWN BRAND Browse YPO’s own-brand range online
at
ypo.co.uk/own-brand or if you would like someone to help you determine the best products to meet your needs, call 01924 834 960 to speak to a member of the team.
YPO has over 80 procurement frameworks and over 30,000 products. To find out more about the procurement service and to get advice on how you can make the most of your school budgets, contact YPO on 01924 664 664 or email
procurementservices@ypo.co.uk. YPO works with suppliers across the UK to offer the latest products and services to schools at the most competitive prices – go to
ypo.co.uk/products.
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