Advertisement Feature BLOMBERG
‘Blomberg offers you stability – it’s a no-brainer’
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ERT has teamed up with appliance brand Blomberg for a UK tour of Euronics agents. This month we visit Kevin Farish in Dumfries, Scotland, and Peter Rhodes of Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, to see how they’re using Blomberg to help improve their business and overcome some of the challenges in the marketplace. First up is Kevin Farish...
K
evin Farish started his eponymously-named business by
selling reconditioned appliances from the back of a secondhand Ford Cortina estate car that he paid £100 for – he only had £600 in the bank. Now he’s the owner of one of the largest independent electrical retailers
in Scotland. Established in 1985, it sells major domestic appliances and floorcare products from its showroom in Dumfries. “I started off as a one-man band, servicing and repairing white goods and selling reconditioned appliances. I moved into an old shed and warehouse in the town centre, which I converted into a shop and a workshop in the late ’90s – I soon employed staff to help,” he tells ERT. In 2010, the business moved into the property it currently occupies –
a former Victorian school that’s made up of two large buildings, both owned by Mr Farish. One of the premises houses his shop, showroom and workshop, while the other is rented out to six small local businesses, including a café, dance studio and arts space. Behind the shop, which is divided into separate areas for freestanding and built-in appliances, there’s parking for up to 100 cars, thanks to the school’s former playgrounds.
The business, which is almost a 50:50 split on freestanding and built-in, now employs 15 staff and holds a large range of white goods in-store and in its warehouse, which helps it compete with online rivals. “I can deliver pretty fast – I sell to the local area and I’m in control of it. If I took on the whole of the UK, I would lose on delivery and returns. I want to concentrate on what I’m good at and increase my turnover,” says Mr Farish.
The company has a web presence at
www.kevinfarish.com and prides
itself on offering its customers a personal service. Click and collect is available and the business promotes itself on social media using Facebook, which it finds is great for attracting younger shoppers. Interactive online competitions with prizes up for grabs have proved particularly popular. Says Mr Farish, who is a Euronics agent: “My business has gradually grown over 33 years. We’re constantly busy because we do a lot of different
Above: Kevin Farish Top right: in conversation with ERT editor Sean Hannam
things. I’m still doing service and repair and reconditioning appliances and I’ve become the authorised repair agent for most brands.” One of those brands is Blomberg, which is owned by Beko Plc. Mr Farish is an authorised service agent for Beko Plc’s brands and he was one of the first Euronics agents to sell Blomberg appliances, back in 2010. “I’ve always been impressed by Blomberg’s build quality and the length of guarantee, which helps to sell it. There’s a three-year guarantee as standard on the freestanding products and five years on built-in,” he tells ERT. “Blomberg is one of my biggest brands. The products look good and they
have a lot of great features. The training really helps – it gives our staff more confidence to sell the appliances. We’ve been selling Blomberg for so long that a lot of our customers are asking for it – they’ve heard of it.” Asked about which product innovations impress him most and how he’d like to see the Blomberg brand develop in the future, Mr Farish says: “I’m really pleased to see the introduction of the graphite range which I’m sure will do very well. I would like to see the brand continue to expand its already comprehensive range of quality products across all key categories. Blomberg offers you stability – the freestanding range is sold exclusively through Euronics so you’re never going to lose with it. It’s a no-brainer.”
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