MERCHANT FOCUS: SOVINI TRADE SUPPLIES
took the pressure off the other branches a bit as well.”
He adds that one of the benefits of being part of NBG is greater visibility of what’s going on elsewhere. “We’re not just seeing what’s going on in Liverpool, but we can see the trends across the industry. There’s always someone elsewhere in the group that has their finger on the pulse of what’s happening with, say renewables. For a company like us that deals so much with social housing, that’s a really valuable insight. Joining the NBG also meant we consolidated many of our deals, and our buying to fewer suppliers. That meant our goods- in function was able to run more efficiently.”
Growth from external sales is around 30% year on year, Evans says. “We started just by expanding the circle from The Sovini Group’s construction and property arm, and then recruited a new salesman who brought some different customers with him, and it developed from there.
Our external customer base alongside social housing, drives sales to ensure we can give back and reinvest those profits back into our local communities, through local initiatives and building new homes. In 2023/24 we generated social value of £9.29m. This total combines the impact achieved on behalf of clients, stakeholders and local communities.” A big part of The Sovini Group’s growth story is that its colleagues are an important part of the ethos, and develop along with the rest of the company. The Group values its people and is driven through purpose led initiatives.
Distribution centre manager Andy Keouski says: “Our mission is to create opportunities and change lives. It’s about building affordable homes for people, but it also applies to our colleagues as well. I feel like we are all an integral part of the team here.” He adds that employees were also involved in the process of setting up the new branch and invited
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to give their suggestions. “We had a huge amount of input into the development of the Bootle store. It was great to be involved as key stakeholders.
Diversity
“We have a hugely diverse team, in terms of gender, physical ability, age and experience. People really care and want the business to succeed. It makes for a healthy mix and great environment to thrive in.”
He adds that group has always had a strong ethos of promoting from within, coaching, mentoring and training are hugely important. “As the company evolves, we’ve evolved with it.” he says. “We are always looking at our succession planning, at how we can develop people through the Group. I’ve had people who come to work for me in warehousing who have ended up in marketing and the sales team because that was where their interest, training and aptitude led them. We don’t pigeonhole people.”
Evans adds: “That’s the ethos across the whole Group, and that doesn’t just mean the people within it. Social housing is all very much about giving equal opportunities to your local communities and we as a Group really believe in this. We’ve had internships, work experience sessions and lots of engagement with schools across the Liverpool City Region because we see these communities as our future. Our future employees, our future customers.” BMJ
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