MERCHANT FOCUS: DUFTONS
so Gildersome, being close to the M62, is obviously a bonus. How far our vans now travel says a lot about the changing nature of Duftons’ market,” he adds. “Obviously, we are still very focussed on the traditional localised business, but if Paul Dufton and Barry Fowler could see the business now with 18 vans all over the country, they wouldn’t recognise it. When Duftons started, the company was serving the plumber who’d go no more than two miles out of his way to buy his materials. That’s how the market has evolved and changed.”
The customer base has traditionally been single jobbing plumbers, the one or two-man band, maybe with an apprentice, but Eyre says that Duftons is now very much at the forefront of the renewables market in the area, hence the establishment of Dufton’s Renewable Energy at Gildersome . “We buy our solar panels direct from suppliers around the world,” he explains. “In some months as much as 20% of our total turnover can be made up of renewable products. There is a lot of government driven subsidy funded business with that certainly. Without that subsidy you would be hard pressed to get a return on a £10,000 investment, though there are also those people who just want to be ahead of the curve, to do the right thing by the planet. In fact, we have just completed a contract with a small development of a couple of barn conversions which will be marketed as ‘fit for the future’, but the vast majority of the heat pump installations are being done under government subsidy.
“That said, our success is always going to be linked in the housing market. If people move house, they get work done, that’s where we and our customers come in.” The company is a member of the PHG buying group, without which, Eyre says he doubts the growth and expansion plans would happen in the same way. “The membership is very close and the sharing of information on things like systems and procedures is invaluable. What is especially important to us is the PHG own brand, Instinct. That plays a huge role in our profitability. It’s a great
brand for us to push and get behind. It’s not available on the internet, that’s one of the rules, and the Instinct catalogue really drives our bathroom business.”
Eyre says that the company has also been taking the opportunity to refresh and upgrade the existing branches as well, putting the new renewables centre in, as well as new bathroom showrooms. “We aren’t sitting on our hands waiting for trading to get better, we are going out there to make sure that we are offering what our customers want, and what they will want in the future. Markets always come back and when this one does, we will be more than ready for it. We are doing what we are doing in readiness for when the market picks up. New branches take time to make you money, but they start costing you money from day one. But that’s never a reason not to open them just because the market isn’t where you’d like it to be at the time.”
Product guide
The industry has changed and developed, particularly around technology, but Eyre says that Duftons still produces a printed product guide, which includes details of the branches and the products. “Some people would look at it and ask why, in this day and age we still do that. But many of our customers like to have a catalogue that they can keep in their van. They can flick through it to find what they are looking for, rather than scrolling on
a phone screen. The book also includes price details. Our customer will go into Mrs Miggins’ house and she’ll tell them what she wants, he then pops back to his van, and uses the guide to price the job up quickly and easily.” He adds that this focus on how customers like to do business is one of the reasons why so many of them remain loyal to Duftons. “We know that many of our plumbers and installers will drive past other merchants to deal with us. And, for the most part, that is down to the Duftons people. We think we’re fair, tolerant employers, we respect our people, we look after them, and they seem to stay. We pay above the going rate, and we want them to feel valued. So, it means that customers are dealing with people at Duftons that they have known for years. We spend a lot fostering good relationships with customers, and we hope that if it came down to a £5 difference on a boiler say, the customer remembers the hamper at Christmas, the day at York Races, the golf days, or the chats he has with Bob on the trade counter, and that that swings the deal. We can’t compete on every price with all our competitors, but we can hold our own on some items, and we hope that customers value the whole Dufton’s package. The steady growth we’ve had, and that we really hope will continue, I’d like to believe bears this out.” BMJ
November 2024
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net 19
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