RETAILING
‘perceived value’. We apply it to everything in the store and it is part of our success.”
As well as ensuring the offer is right, providing the best support and advice possible for all of its customers is a key part of what makes Kings special. Whether it’s a helpful price architecture, clear and communicative POS material, or making the store feel approachable
for novice DIYers,
Kings puts a strong focus on arming the customer with everything they need to make the best choice for them. Tony explains: “With barbecues,
for example, we have to have three on display so we provide a good, better, best offer. You may know beforehand that you’re only going to sell one killer line but you have to have the rest to offer choice and also help to sell the killer line. “When it comes to merchandising, we know that our customers need to know all the benefits of the products. When we make up our shelf tickets and POS material, we put all of the power points about the product so we really tell the story.” He continues: “Customers come
here because they want advice. We’ve got a reputation locally and, within a 10-mile radius, people are sent here. What’s worrying is that these customers aren’t necessarily young. Because of the way people live now, they are not setting up homes now until they are in their late 30s.
“So, you then have customers in their 40s who have never changed an electric plug or even drilled a hole in the wall. The secret is to show them how to do these things without making them feel silly.”
Being approachable This determination to create a space with approachable staff, where customers feel at ease, stems from Tony’s own experience; and he and his son put a strong focus on training, so that all of the 17 employees working across the Kings business have the knowledge base to draw on. “Years ago, I remember going into shops – one in particular – and people would have fun and take the mickey and didn’t help me,” says Tony. “Women were scared to go into that shop… and even some men too!
“We have lots of customers who have never changed a plug or drilled a hole... The secret is to show them how to do these things without making them feel silly”
“At Kings we are asked so many questions that may seem simple or silly but any advice you can give on the basics can really give people the confidence to do that job. A lot of women come in here and we work to try and put them at ease. All of our staff are good – even our Saturday lads. We invest a lot of time in training and trying to pass that knowledge on.” He continues: “We like to offer practical help. We have members of staff who have been here a long time
and, in every department, we’ve got an expert and people who can give advice. Service is of the utmost importance to us and things like ‘carry to the car’ is mandatory. Seven litres of paint can be damn heavy!” Fortunately, the layout at the rear of the store creates a driveway for people in a service yard between the timber yard and main building, which enables customers to park and load up with bulky items, such as block salt, gas, palettes of stock, and coal.
Meanwhile, Kings is also able to
provide an online service for tools via Toolbank Express; an area that is showing signs of growth. “We’re finding that people are calling up more and more saying they’ve seen something on our website, so that is clearly having an impact.” The closure of a local Homebase four years ago provided the business with a 30% boost – a sales increase Kings says it has retained. Meanwhile, sales were up 3.5% in 2017, despite what Tony describes as a strange year and the impact of a long, hot summer. “Lawnmower sales were nil but we sold a lot of fans!” Tony laughs. This past year,
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the uncertainty of Brexit has also made a dent but Tony adds: “by the time we tally up, I think we will be around 7.5% up in 2018.” A surprising best seller for the business lately is block salt. “Believe it or not, it is now one of our major lines and we have been selling about 52 tonnes of it every year, making around £50,000 between the two stores,” explains Tony. A national shortage has disrupted the supply chain for many retailers, including Kings, but the keen retailer has managed to source some from a supplier in the southwest and ended up selling, in one month, what it would typically have sold in five. But, while there is clearly money to be made, as always, offering value and putting customers at the heart at what it does, is vital to Kings. “I see that some people have put the price of the block salt up because of the short supply,. There’s a garden centre down the road selling it at £6, but we don’t want to do that to our customers. I knocked it back down to £4.99 a bag, which is what we were selling it for before and the volume will stay up that way.”
12 APRIL 2019 DIY WEEK 21
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