RETAILING
Suzie Nixon - works to tailor its offer and spot opportunities in the market “Our biggest competitor was
Getting it right W
ith growing competition in the market, Right Price – run by husband and wife team Mark
and
Screwfix with its DIY Express trial store just three minutes up the road but they’ve packed up and left,” says Mark. “We like to think we gave them a good hiding, so they went back to the drawing board,” he laughs. The small-format DIY Express store – originally one of two trialled in the UK - disappeared about a month ago, according to Mark and the site is now a Screwfix warehouse. Despite Kingfisher’s trade chain ploughing ahead with its ambitious expansion plan across the UK, the Screwfix trade counter in place of DIY Express doesn’t give Mark and his team the same cause
18 DIY WEEK 14 JUNE 2019
for concern, as he explains: “Our customers want to buy one or two of something, not a big bag. It’s not affected us to much, as we have kept the same clientele and also got some new customers.” Other retail players that do provide
frustration and keep Right Price DIY on its toes are the discounters and supermarkets, as they step up their home and garden offer. “These big stores, like B&M, are doing everything now,” says Mark. “It’s not a level playing field. Look at the
likes of Aldi, for example, which has a third of its shop floor covered in DIY and garden products. So many people do gardening now, so we have made the decision to focus on providing goods for the big projects in the garden, such as patio slabs and fencing.”
It also means Right Price has
to been keen on price on order to remain competitive. “There have been a lot of hefty increases on materials, which pushes turnover up and inflates figures,” Mark explains.
Trading in Shepton Mallett since 1987, independent DIY and garden retailer, Right Price DIY has “seen off” Screwfix’s dedicated DIY store format, DIY Express, and continues to add that “friendly, personal touch” to all that it does, in a bid to provide local customers with an unrivalled service and offer. Fiona Garcia reports
“We can’t put that onto the end purchaser because our competitor up the road is trying to sell the same stuff.” The introduction of a loyalty scheme for customers over 60 has proved a huge opportunity for the business and really given sales a boost, with keen DIYers in this age group making even more frequent visits to the store on Bath Road and some happily making a 20-minute journey over. Mark tells DIY Week: “We’ve got
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