LANDSCAPING
THE BENEFITS OF WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP
Bradstone paves the way to a prosperous relationship with Chandler Material Supplies, as BMJ found out.
W
ith consumer attitudes towards their gardens changing and the promise of another scorching summer on the
horizon, it’s becoming increasingly important for merchants to invest in their landscaping offering and pocket their share of the growth. One merchant which identified the growing market within domestic landscaping early on is now reaping the benefits, is Chandler Material Supplies, an independent family business in Essex, hat has been working closely with garden paving manufacturer Bradstone.
Chandler’s managing director, Julie Chandler says: “Our landscaping offering has been a big focus for us over the last four years and a lot of that is down to our strong relationship with Bradstone. Every year, we have sent our sales teams to Bradstone’s annual training academy to learn about the different products. Our team love that they can gain a wealth of insight about the different materials, as well as seeing the factory first-hand to better understand how the products are made, packaged and stored. They always leave these sessions armed with an in-depth knowledge of the range and fully equipped to confidently sell Bradstone products to our customers.
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“One of the team’s most memorable learnings is the ‘red wine on porcelain’ test to demonstrate to customers how low maintenance and stain-resistant the product is. We also have an array of literature and face-to-face support with Bradstone, so we can rest assured the team are always doing their best to support us.”
The ongoing support and annual training has made a huge impact on the business , with the result that Bradstone product sales have increased over the past four years.
Training demand
Chandler continues: “The whole team is so enthusiastic about selling landscaping products and each year I have a huge number of employees wanting to go on the training.” The merchant has also invested a lot of time to ensure their points of sale are always working hard. “Our display area is not the largest so we have to plan carefully to ensure it’s optimised. We aim to show all the Bradstone landscaping products that are available, whilst at the same time showcasing the ranges we have in stock” Chandler sys. “By having a display where customers can look at products as well as physically touch, feel and stand on them, homeowners are able to visualise what their dream garden
might look like. With the space constraints we have at our branch, we’re not able to have a lifestyle display so we try to add a touch of greenery to soften the area and appeal to the consumer market.”
With staff product knowledge and a hard- working display in progress, the next step for the growing business was e-commerce. Chandler Material Supplies started selling landscaping products online in late 2016 and it’s been a huge success, with the orders rolling in, particularly during peak months. Julie adds: “We took the decision to sell our landscaping products online so we could reach a wider audience and open up to a new market. Customers can now browse and research the products 24/7 and we’ve equipped the website with all the technical information they need to lay a patio, so they are confident with their purchase. It was a huge step for the business, but we haven’t looked back since.”
Chandler adds: “The hard work and dedication of our team to always go the extra mile has got us where we are today. That, coupled with the excellent working relationship we have with our key suppliers, makes such a difference. We’re really excited about the future and to continue striving to be the best in what we do.” BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net July 2019
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