the major domestic appliances,” he said. “Mark Greig came here from LG and he’s doing


a great job for us. He came to focus on TV, then he took on the MDA. I still do buying now with some brands, as I like to be involved.” Mark said that some products have a very quick turn, while others are a bit slower, depending on the category. “We are one of the biggest retailers of range


cookers in the UK and we carry a massive spread,” he said. “You’ve got to know what’s going on in the market and be aware of trends – that’s the key to running any successful businesses, you have to be in touch with what’s going on.” Mark Electrical recently appointed two


new buyers who’ve started, so there’s now six members of staff looking at the buying. “Now we can micromanage all the brands and


SKUs,” Mark said. Marks Electrical currently employs 200 staff but


has plans to add around 50 positions in the next 12 months.


Free next day installations…coming soon Installation is the new string to the company’s bow.


“Our USP is we keep the products in stock, and


offer free next day delivery, seven days a week,” Mark said. “If you live in Exeter and you order before 6pm


tonight, you will get that product and have it tomorrow, whether it be a range cooker, a £3,000 Samsung American fridge-freezer, or a £200 Beko washing machine. “We will deliver that tomorrow on our own


trucks, by our own trained drivers. We don’t sub contact that out to third party logistics, all deliveries are done ourselves on our new fleet of Mercedes lorries with the right tail lifts.” Mark said that the company’s drivers are trained


in delivering and installing American fridge- freezers and plumbing in washing machines and dishwashers. “We’re moving to recruit gas fitters and


electricians to actually install integrated products,


including integrated gas hobs,” Mark said. “All the lorries leave our headquarters in the


morning with all the products on the vehicles; our staff install the products, take the packaging away and remove the old product, so it can be sent for recycling. “We’re expanding our fleet of installers and


spreading the network. We currently cover probably 90% of the population of England with our installation service. We want to try and get to next day installations and that’s the challenge for the team.” Marks Electrical currently has 40 vehicles and it’ll add 10 more installation vehicles to its own fleet by the end of December.


Supporting customers through the cost-of-living crisis With the cost-of-living crisis, Mark said that his buyers are pushing suppliers harder for better deals, so that it can pass the deals on to customers. “If you get a good deal for the customer, you’ll sell hundreds of them if the price is right,” he said. “We constantly check prices – we’ve got very complex tracking software that was developed in-house, which tracks the whole market, so we can track a particular product to make sure we’re always on the money. “That’s a key part of the business, so the


customer is always getting a good deal. It’s like everyday low pricing, we make sure that the customer gets a good deal, with free delivery. “We’re the only people in the UK who do free next day delivery – and that’s on everything we sell over £100.” Mark said that the business has seen a big influx of people moving towards heat pump dryers, albeit they are slower to dry. “That was always people’s main complaint, that


they were slow to dry, but now they realise that they generally cost one-third of the amount it takes for a condenser dryer to dry clothes,” he said. “It isn’t the end of the world if it takes three


hours to dry your clothes, but if it’s a third of the cost, it’s worth it, particularly if you put it on an


Mark Smithson


overnight delay start. People always trade to a better product, and I think people understand quality.”


The customer journey Mark said that customers love to sit at home and peruse the Marks Electrical offering from their sofas He pointed out that there are many videos


on YouTube and videos from manufacturers that consumers can use to make an informed decision now. “You no longer have to rush down to the


store after work,” he said. “If it’s a coat, or a pair of trousers or a suit, then I understand that people want to go and try it. “In the industry we’re in, they’ll be more of a


shift to online. There are certain products that people want to go and touch and feel, but it’s becoming less important.”


What’s next? Marks Electrical recently added IT as a category, which includes laptops and iPhones. “I thought we’d never go into it, but we’ve got


a buyer specifically drafted in to do the buying for the IT category,” Mark said. “We’ve just started with only a very small amount of products, but I think that will grow.” Looking ahead, Mark added: “Growing the installation network and getting to next day installation is key. “In London, for example, I’m sure that trying


to get fitter to go and install an integrated dishwasher is not the easiest thing to do, but we can deliver and install the product and take the old one away. “When it’s a built-in product, people will pay a lot of money for that service,” he added. Mark said the business is not in any rush to


add new categories. “We’ve got plenty to go after,” he said. “We are


the perfect candidate to take up the slack from John Lewis; it’s not got the breadth of range and doesn’t carry much stock.”


October/November 2022


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