MERCHANT FOCUS: DJS BUILDING SUPPLIES


I can get it for you. Even if we can’t, and it’s not very often that we really can’t help people at all, it shows that we are willing to go that bit further for our customers. It showcases our customer service ethic.“


DJS Building Supplies held its first trade day at the end of June which raised awareness of the company, and footfall has increased since then. Plus, Spendelow’s experience with social media marketing is paying dividends.


Customer service


for a one branch set-up. “If we got bigger with a second branch, it probably would require a change, but that’s something for the future. It all syncs up and it works with our online click and collect which uses Shopify,” she explains.


come back from. So, I want to make sure that we are nailing every single aspect of what we do before we move on to the next thing. At the moment all deliveries are on a tipper truck, though Spendelow knows a need for a larger vehicle will come in time. “At the moment we have partners - other local merchants - who will help us out if we have a bigger load to deliver. It’s really important to have those relationships in the industry, and then you can find partners who are happy to facilitate so that, for example, we don’t have to take part-loads and pay the premium.” The business has grown organically with no external funding apart from a loan for the tipper truck, and accounts are run via Xero accounting software which works very well


“I’m part of a female founders business network and many of them use Shopify, so I thought I’d see if it could work for us. It does. I set it all up myself, uploading images, writing product descriptions. It was a real labour of love. I spent months, working evenings and weekends on it, but it looks aesthetically exactly how I wanted it to. It allows us to offer a service that’s similar to competitors like Screwfix. I think it looks the part and really showcases what we do. “I don’t want to do things just because everyone else does them. We are different to other builders’ merchants, and we want to maintain that differential. I wouldn’t want to put out into the world something that I’m not proud of, or that I feel happy spending my days in, and my evenings thinking about.” It’s a point of pride with Spendlow never to say a flat ‘no’ to a customer, she explains. “It’s always, ‘we don’t have that but let me see if


She says: “I really wanted to ensure that the branch and the website and the branding all reflected our ethos and looked as good as possible. If something looks like people have put a lot of effort into it, then I think there’s that element of trust from customers. “They can tell that you haven’t just thrown stuff together, that you’ve taken your time and put effort in. That goes for suppliers too, we are now seeing more suppliers coming to us to ask if we want to deal with them. They’ve realised that we are in it for the long-term to build our little business our way, on our terms.“


The company does offer most product sectors apart from plumbing, apart from a few items of soil and waste because it ties in with underground drainage, though Spendlow says that will probably expand in time. “Otherwise, we can offer everything from underground drainage to second fix bathrooms, bricks, blocks, fencing, PIR, plasterboard and electrics, as well as the sundries such as cable ties, plaster, gaffer tape, beads and bulk bags. We can also do roofing as we have a link up with a roofing merchant who helps us out. I’m a big believer in collaboration over competition, as there is enough business out there for all of us.” BMJ


October 2025 www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net


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