Blueprint for a successful showroom | FOCUS
JS Geddes showroom
f you were setting up a brand new showroom tomorrow, where would you start? In the current retail climate, ‘don’t do it’ could well be the blunt answer… but let’s assume that you’re determined to go ahead with your project. Before you even begin to think about where your showroom will be located and what it will look like, ask yourself one question: is it commercially viable? “If I were setting a showroom up tomorrow, I’d have already been doing some work on looking at who my customers are going to be and where my main competition is,” says Paul Laville, group chief executive of retail training company T21 He adds: “I’d be asking myself what do those customers want and can I offer it to them? Can I give them a value-added service that provides a critical point of difference over my competitors and will that be attractive enough to entice them in? How would I deliver that service?”
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Laville points out that there are also important practical, physical and logistical considerations to take into account, such as managing the supply chain and stockholding. “Are you going to be holding stock, even if it’s just for
specifi c projects-in-waiting, or calling it in to order? If the former, then where does it go, do I have the space to store it and how much will it cost me to hold it?” “If it’s the latter, then what are my lead times and where are the potential weak points in the supply chain? What can I do to eliminate those?”
Out of town or high street? Location is incredibly important. More and more retailers are being driven out of town centres, thanks to the rising cost of high-street rents and rates and the ability to offer free parking to customers. But having an out-of-town business also brings its own challenges, as passing trade can sometimes be thin on the ground – unless you’re in a retail park. So you will need to market your business as a destination store and raise its profi le in the local community.
September 2019 · kbbreview
Says Richard Hibbert, managing director of independent, family-run kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms and interiors retailer KSL Sudbury in Suffolk, who is also the national chair of the KBSA: “For us, it would always be out of town – there are lower rents and rates, bigger buildings, easier access and parking. If I was mentoring someone who was starting a new business, I would ask them certain questions and tailor my advice to suit.” He adds: “I would start at the bottom and work my way through the business, creating a plan, which would include marketing.” Says T21’s Laville: “Both out-of-town and high- street locations have advantages and drawbacks. In the end, it’s down to space, cost of upkeep, rates, access for customers and suppliers, and convenience. That would seem to favour the out-of- town location, especially when you factor in customer footfall, which tends to be higher on a retail park. But it’s not a given – it depends on the area and where people prefer to shop. There’s much to be said for the appeal of a beautiful designer showroom situated right at the heart of the community.”
Celtic Interiors, a kitchen retailer in Cork, Ireland, and Kitchen Retailer of the Year in the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2017, says that being out of town, in the suburbs, works well for their business. A spokesperson for the company tells kbbreview:
“We fi nd that by having our showroom in a village that has a small industrial estate, we get a nice balance of footfall – people who are in the process of building or remodelling their home, as well as those who simply stumble upon the showroom and see something they like.” Brandt Kitchens, which has a showroom in Hatch
End, north-west London, says that a central location works best for them.
Comments head of operations Julia Steadman: “Our Hatch End showroom is well-positioned on the high street, in an affl uent commuter belt. It benefi ts from excellent footfall, thanks to a nearby mainline„
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I’d specialise in one product sector to ensure greater product knowledge – the showroom would be out of town, as parking and access is easier
Jim Geddes, managing director, JS Geddes, Kilmarnock
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