EXPERT OPINION
“TILE” FOR CHANGE
it up to date, relevant or give it a face lift… choosing different trends, shapes, designs and sizes, or even just making some improvements such as refreshing the grouting or removing the limescale, we can see that some of the retailers in the home improvement sector are doing the same with their stores. So, I took a quick look at some of
I
the retail changes that caught my eye this past month with B&Q’s GoodHome, a new Howdens outlet and the new Ikea small store format…..exciting times!
All about convenience I dropped into the new GoodHome by B&Q store in Wallington and gave it the “five-minute customer journey test”. With a clean smart exterior
the store was eye
catching from the road and with some parking directly outside the entrance, it was really convenient. This format is all about convenience and reminded me a little of the Argos new format stores. The promise of same day/next day delivery, click & collect ready
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‘ve tried to fit with the tile feature in this issue of DIY Week. Just when you re-tile your bathroom to keep
quickly and 6,000 products on site, accessible in five minutes, means it delivers convenience and speed. In fact, the self-order screen in store resembles that of a fast food outlet. The wider range of products from the B&Q estate were also available, although I was disappointed that I needed to access this through a different screen, which was not well sign posted. But, maybe, this will become clearer; after all, this is the first store and only in its first few weeks of trading. The reception was very friendly and the team were keen to help me make a selection, though they didn’t seem to be subject matter experts, so it did feel like I needed to know what I wanted. The challenge of great advice in a DIY store still feels like it needs to be mastered here. Overall it certainly feels like a step in the right direction and a fresh hit to the high street which is what the challenged high street is in need of after all.
The friendly touch
Next Howdens. I visited one of its new store formats of the 30 that are now live, from its estate of over 650 outlets and, I must say, it was certainly not what I was expecting – I was pleasantly surprised. It was very stylish, and had a premium
Daley hub director Clive Daley delivers the sixth instalment of his monthly solutions, discussing how retailers are freshening up their look and adapting to market changes
feel to it, so much so, that I forgot I was in a trade outlet, as it felt more like a showroom. You could see how a tradesman could visit it with a DIFM (Do-it-for-me) customer. The extremely helpful member of the team offered for someone to come out and measure up my kitchen and gave me a sense of comfort that they knew what they were doing and were there to help. I was impressed.
This knowledgeable member of
staff took me through the catalogue efficiently, although I was surprised at the lack of a digitalisation of it all, which is obviously missing right now. However, knowing the team that Andrew Livingston has brought in and the massive difference he made with the Screwfix business, we can all expect things to rapidly develop here.
Test and Trial
Ikea is definitely in test and trial mode as it looks to adapt its business model for the modern consumer. In fact, it has a number of new store formats and ideas on trial currently. The retailer has a dedicated kitchen showroom in Stockholm, a London store offering personalised planning for home renovations,
one in
Madrid dedicated to living room furniture and, now, a new 5,400sq m
store recently opened in Paris. The store opened to a soundtrack of Abba songs and staff waving blue and yellow Swedish flags. Located in the Madeleine district, this is its 34th outlet overall in France. It is another innovation test
laboratory; it is for people
who know and love Ikea but think the store is too far away, so this new format is one of the new city centre stores that offer, new services and an improvement to its online capabilities. The store will also include a salad bar and restaurant, offer Feng Shui, cooking classes and workshops on repairing furniture or on home renovation, so it is quite different. They are definitely focusing on theatre and experience to appeal to consumers. All items can be ordered online and delivered at home or to 350 pickup points available and, if this is successful, we can expect to see more. The group is also planning to roll out furniture rentals to its main markets to appeal to an increasingly environmentally-conscious consumer. This adds credibility to the new trend we will see develop in the future of a circular economy, one where consumers will share more…certainly times are changing and changing fast.
14 JUNE 2019 DIY WEEK 11
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