Monday February 4 2019 THE NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM, BIRMINGHAM
Members have the opportunity to purchase an even wider range of merchandise at very competitive prices with the added convenience of the invoicing being dealt with through us. We have over 150 companies on our direct shipment list.” Home Hardware (Scotland) distributes five seasonal brochures too, with a print run of about 450,000 each. “We book the postal sectors with Royal Mail, which saves our members valuable time. This means we can also bring the price of distribution down by combining all postal sectors into the one contract.” The brochures’ products have an average 50% profit on cost and most are current stock lines. Members are also supplied with POS (point-of- sale) and A2 posters as part of the group’s marketing offer. Many shops have the Home Hardware fascia and others have Home Hardware window graphics, uniforms, bags and POS tickets. Chris notes: “If a member distributes our brochures, it’s more beneficial if they have window graphics or a fascia, to guide potential customers to their shop.” Other services include gift vouchers, license-free
in-store radio, an in-store design service, PR and advertising support, and a click & collect service via the Home Hardware Direct website at
www.homehardwaredirect.co.uk. Chris adds: “Members can also invest in our
website which has over 6,000 product lines and is a sub-division of Home Hardware (Scotland). Having a trading website lets consumers see that the independent retailer is also part of a larger organisation, thus instilling trust when buying online.” In addition, there are regular members’ meetings.
the big interview
“These allow us to inform members of all key developments and they provide valuable feedback. We gain from the views and ideas of members, and in turn, they can share ideas, challenges and solutions. “Members also have access to our Microsoft
SharePoint site, which has an abundance of useful information. For example, they can communicate with staff and other members through the SharePoint Blog area: members looking for an item which has been discontinued or was a clearance line often use it to contact other shops.” Home Hardware (Scotland) organises an annual shop visit for members as well, who take it in turn to host. “It’s a great opportunity to see other shops. It also gives members a chance to socialise with each other and with our key staff,” Chris says. This year’s visit was to Sai Majeed’s shop, Inex Homecare in Glasgow, and last year’s excursion was to Brian Mills shop: Timbermills at Cummnock in Ayrshire. Training days are offered too at the distribution
centre on subjects including epos, Facebook and Excel, along with Dulux colour mixing workshops and Cuprinol seminars. In addition, Home Hardware (Scotland) runs
various contests, including an annual Bake-off window dressing competition (see page 32), a Christmas window competition and monthly Facebook competitions, with prizes often sponsored by suppliers. There are also regular giveaways and competitions in its brochures. At the time of going to press, Home Hardware
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(Scotland)’s marketing department was busy adding the finishing touches to the 20-page Christmas
brochure (due out on November 5) which has been redesigned “in the same fresh format as our very successful Autumn brochure,” Chris says. “As part of the redesign, we’ve reduced the number of [featured] items, which means we can now give many of our suppliers’ products a larger presence [on the page].” Plus, a new loyalty card scheme has just been
introduced “which has proved an outstanding success in bringing increased footfall to our stores. We will be handing this out to customers and local businesses in the run-up to Christmas. And earlier this year, we employed a business development officer. As a direct result, we’re hoping to see an increase in membership before Christmas.” So what’s on the agenda for 2019? Chris aims to
“continue to grow our membership - and contact our suppliers to ensure they have plans in place to cope with any possible disruption to the supply chain due to Brexit issues”. He concludes: “We are uniquely set up as a non-
profit making business, to provide the retailer with the maximum opportunity to make profit whilst remaining competitive in the marketplace. All members share and participate as equals - whether they have one small shop or 10. “Our philosophy is considerably different to some
conventional wholesalers whose basic objective is to maximise their own profits. We work on the basis that by driving customer demand through effective marketing, while giving our members the opportunity to buy at the best price possible, the sky’s the limit for the independent. In essence, the shops are the profit centres.”
The business-to-business website for housewares retailers and their suppliers
www.housewareslive.net Your hotspot for the latest news and products from across the industry
october/november 2018
THE LINN COLLECTION. Organise clothes beautifully.
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