Darren Taylor | COMMENT AND OPINION
DARREN TAYLOR OPINION
Searle and Taylor’s managing director describes the steps he has taken to minimise his business’s environmental impact and has some tips on how retailers can come out of the coronavirus pandemic ready to start again
Sense and sustainability I
love the idea of having a completely sustainable business wherea I could 100% offset my carbon footprint, offering products
I was delighted to receive an
unexpected award for having The Greatest Green Showroom
that are ecologically sound and where I am completely paperless. But, as a retailer, there are things I can and can’t do to ensure my business has less impact on the planet. I can’t stop using electricity because the showroom needs to be well-lit and we sell appliances that need to be live to demonstrate them. Driving an electric car goes some way to reducing my carbon footprint, but my vans are not electric. Many of us import kitchen furniture from Europe or further afi eld and, while these manufacturers may have
excellent sustainability credentials in relation to the materials they use, they still arrive at the showroom in diesel trucks. However, my traditional handmade bespoke kitchens are manufactured in the next county and I also display a new artisan kitchen brand that has an entirely sustainable ethos. My core client base is in Hampshire and their furniture is handmade in Hampshire, so the carbon footprint is minimised.
I recently read that 92% of the world’s resources are only ever used once before becoming waste. We can all try to limit this. None of us need to have so much ‘stuff’ that isn’t important in our showrooms. I wrote previously that I don’t accept brochures, samples or unsolicited marketing materials from companies I don’t partner with. However, I do need some brochures for the brands I regularly work with. I would love these to all be digital, but it isn’t always a viable option.
I’m currently producing my new brochure. It will be downloadable but some clients will still want a print option.
Where I can, I reuse or recycle. When I sold my previous premises and expanded my current showroom in Winchester to three fl oors, I only needed one skip for the move because I made the effort to recycle all of my older displays and not just chuck them out. I did receive some payment for them, because I am running a business. While it was not always worth the fi nancial reward, I know my old display kitchens never, ever went to landfi ll.
There is more than one excellent company that can facilitate this option and I have worked with one of them for 10 years. I was delighted to receive an unexpected award for having The Greatest Green Showroom from The Used Kitchen Company for recycling all my displays this year. I was well chuffed. It really does make sense to be sustainable.
The ‘C’ word
It would be strange if I did not mention the current and dreadful situation we are all faced with. We have to remember it will end – but at what cost? While I am fi nding it hard, like we all are, I know I must be positive and continue to look forward, as I want to remain in business, like we all do. But how? We independent retailers rarely have an opportunity to properly plan ahead. Now we have the time to focus on the future of our businesses and we must use it wisely. At time of writing, I am doing my company
May 2020 ·
accounts on time – not rushing the end-of-year stocktake as is usual. This year, it will be absolutely spot-on, with a full inventory of everything down to the last handle. I have already painted all the scuffs and scratches that no one but me notices in my showroom and I have recycled all the clutter. I am also putting into plan all the other ideas for my business that will make it even more exciting and experiential in the future. I am determined to have my showroom at its very best, my website doing more than explaining what we do with nice pictures, a new brochure and a business plan that will help us quickly recover and grab extra sales once we are fully operational again.
You must keep up your marketing momentum.
You need to remind people you are still in business. I am doing all I can now to make this happen and so should you, using all the technologies we have – even if that means showing a competitor how to use Zoom! I have been exceptionally busy taking calls
from various industry pals, sharing information on how we intend to get through this – reassuring friends, and being reassured myself. Let’s keep communicating, because we are all in this together. Take care and remain positive. When this ends, we need to be ready to start again, bruised and embattled maybe, but better than before.
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