Martin Osborne | COMMENT AND OPINION
The director of Wakefield Bathrooms explains why he’s had enough of internet sellers who cut their own throats on price and why he wants brands to show their support for showrooms more
brands that don’t SUPPORT us’
‘Fed up with
manufacturers. I firmly believe that each and every one of them could do more to control online sales.
I
And with the coronavirus lockdown driving more people to buy online, there has never been a more urgent time to address this long-running issue. It is something I feel very passionate about, but my concerns always seem to fall on deaf ears. Each and everyone of these manufacturers is killing their own
brand, because retailers are getting more and more fed up and at some point will remove them from their showrooms and go with a brand that offers protection or home-branded goods. I have been looking to put together a portfolio of home brands, but it’s not really what I want to do. We like dealing with quality brands. And if retailers
remove these brands, who will promote their benefits to consumers? How will an end user identify the difference between a cheaper imported, non-branded pro - duct and a quality brand? They will go for the cheaper alternative, if no one tells them why they should purchase the better option.
And then, when the showrooms say ‘enough is enough’, the brands concerned will experience a massive decline in sales. We get people visiting our showroom for several reasons. First, because they have been recommended to us. Second, they are trying to track down a particular model or brand and want to come and see the product. And third, they are simply passing the showroom and call in for a look round. Whichever one of these reasons it may be, they all want to benefit
from our experience and knowledge of the goods we display. We all know that many customers go round showrooms and put a shopping list together, only to go online when they get home and save a couple of quid.
But would this happen if the showrooms were protected? September 2020 ·
’m sure I’m not the only retailer disappointed by the
lack of support from leading bathroom Would retailers jump ship to suppliers that protect them? I think
we are already seeing this in the industry. I know there’s recently been a new platform launched via LinkedIn called ‘The Independent Network’. Last time I checked, there were more than 125 independent showrooms signed up – and these are all retailers frustrated by the same thing.
It’s time we stood together and worked on the greater problem. I get the idea that the more you sell the bigger the discount. In lots of cases, this works and always has, but it’s not quite the same for online bathroom retailers. Some of them seem to just want to give product away. It’s like a contest to see how little profit they can make. This is obviously great news
Consumers will go for cheaper alternatives if there are no retailers to tell them why they should purchase a better brand
for the end user, but nobody else. Showrooms simply can’t compete with that. So here’s what I think brands should do. Why not have a points system?
Discounts would depend on points scored: 95-100 gets you 50% on a sliding scale down to 10-25 points, which could earn you
25%. Points would be
worked out according to showroom commitment to the brand, training attended, lack
of internet sales and quality of displays and marketing. Sure, to start with retailers aren’t going to be doing the same level of business as the online guys, but given time, and collectively as a group of retailers, business will increase and overtake the internet sellers.
It’s a very simple business plan and the better you treat your employees, the bigger the effort they will make, which has the same outcome. We will never stop online sales, but that’s not my intention. I too buy online. If I can’t purchase something locally, I will pop on the internet and order what I need. Online retailers have plenty of importers and distributors to pick from without chipping away at the showroom brands.
I’m not the only one that’s fed up of giving customers the full service, including design, products and installation knowledge, only for them to find products on the internet as cheap as, if not cheaper than, I can buy them for. Something has to give and now is the time! I’m more than willing to speak to any brand and try to work out a solution to this problem. If we all pull in the same direction, it’s scary what we could achieve. That said, if manufacturers won’t play ball, I am also looking at the feasibility of launching my own online shop. It may be a case of, if you can’t beat them, join them.
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OPINION
MARTIN OSBORNE
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