RETAILING
to help fund his passion for gigging with his band, has brought a fresh pair of eyes to the business and savvy marketing skills. Tom says: “When I joined 10 years ago, we didn’t have a website and I explained to my grandparents how much we needed an online presence. Now we are online and have a great social media presence as well. I do a lot on Instagram and make promotional videos,” he explains. “That’s the way people market nowadays. Whenever we get new products in, I put them straight up on social media. We also run competitions for people to win prizes if they share the post – and that seems to work really well. I’m trying my best to bring the business into the 21st century as much as I can but also still retain the old traditional look and feel of the business. We want to build an attraction.” As with a number of other family-
run businesses, Hafod Hardware has reaped the rewards of Tom going out and acquiring other skills and knowledge, which he could then use to help drive the business forward.
Added opportunities His role is to think outside the box and help the business take advantage of opportunities as they arise, adding strings to Hafod’s bow, so that it offers a fully-rounded retail experience – but, equally, still retains its charm as a local store. “We’ve started selling books because we realised there isn’t a book store in the town,” Tom explains. “We offer books about interests, like DIY, gardening, cooking – all topics that are related to the products we sell.” The selection also includes titles on birdwatching for visitors to the area. The book department is doing very well for the shop so far and the family could look to expand the offer further. Tom has also started doing graphic prints “as a side business”, he says. “They are modern versions of the Great Western Railway prints based on local areas and parts of Wales. I started doing them last year and its gone crazy. They’re up in the pubs in town and we have now included links to buy them on our website. My grandparents have allowed me the freedom to do this and it’s just doing so well – we are even selling wholesale to other shops now as well. It’s a different avenue we are going down.” Alan and Pauline have supported their grandson’s ideas, despite any initial misgivings, and have seen those ideas flourish and benefit the business immensely. And, that includes the now-famous Christmas TV advert. “When I first told them
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“We want to build an attraction... a brand and be instantly recognisable.”
‘I’m going to make an advert for the shop but actually the shop isn’t going to be in it a lot’, they raised their eyebrows a bit,” laughs Tom. “But they loved the finished article and what it’s done for the business.” So, what has it done for the business? “The shop this year has been so busy and business has been great. It’s the busiest year we’ve ever had!” exclaims Tom. “It’s mad – I can’t just put it down to the ad but it’s certainly helped.”
He continues: “Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t mention the ad. We’ve had so many tourists coming in saying they’ve seen the advert;, that they were passing through and just had to come in. They’ve also bought a few things whilst they were here, which is always good.” Hafod Hardware’s win at the DIY
Week Awards in May also created a stir with the locals. “We did a window display showing off the trophy and wrote to the local papers telling them about our award and included the press release DIY Week gave us. They loved it and put the story straight up on their websites.” The shop’s customers really got behind the win as well. “Our customers were so excited. In the build up to the awards, they kept coming in and asking if we’d been to the ceremony yet and how we got on, so they were over the moon when they found out we’d won.” The Deliver Magic commercial and its subsequent award-winning status have also served to promote more than just Hafod Hardware – something the residents of Rhayader are acutely aware of and grateful for. “It’s all been great publicity for the town off the back of the video,” says Tom. “People have been saying that we’ve been doing such a good thing for the town.”
In fact, the town was so impressed
with Tom and Josh’s handywork, in March this year, the local council commissioned the pair to create a similar film promoting the Welsh market town. Titled Visit Rhayader – The Year of the Sea, and supported by the hashtag #YearoftheSea, the video is hosted on the town’s website and, Tom says, has been hugely successful. “Again, I’ve spoken to lots of people who say they saw
the video and that’s the only reason they’ve come to the town.”
It’s got to be right Tom is certainly a man who likes to keep busy. As well as his role at Hafod, he is a fully-trained firefighter and is on call throughout the year, meaning Alan and Pauline have to take over if he is called out whilst manning the shop. “It’s not too bad,” he says. “It averages out to about one call a week.” Firefighting aside, Tom’s focus is still very much on helping to build an exciting and secure future for Hafod Hardware and is always on the look-out for new opportunities. “You’ve got to be aware; you’ve got to be looking for what’s available,” he says. “I’m always reading articles on different businesses – what they’ve done well, where they’ve gone wrong, and learning from them.” He has a very clear idea of how
the retail landscape is changing and what Hafod needs to do to adapt and thrive. “I see retail and shopping as an experience and an event now more than it was 10 years ago. So many people shop online now – if they want it, they will buy it. You’ve got to give them a reason to visit you. It’s got to be enjoyable, approachable, and make them think ‘what a wonderful place to visit, I want to come back’. It’s got to be right.”
Discussing his working
relationship with his grandparents and their joint vision, Tom says: “I’ve got a different approach”. He adds: “I did not think I would end up staying in the family business…
As I got older, I started to see more of a future for myself in the shop and invested more. “We want to build a brand – we want to be recognisable and even have other products people can sell. With the business as a whole, we want stability. We understand our limitations, as it is a small town. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves – we live within our means because we know we may have a fantastic year but the next one might be tough.” Yes, the business has diversified and has big plans but none of that is to the detriment of what some would describe as good ‘old- fashioned’ hardware retailing. Over 20 years, Alan and Pauline have, naturally, built up a wealth of DIY and product knowledge – something Tom had to pick up when he first started. “Before university, I had a stint at a builders merchants, so I got a feel for it,” he explains. “But I have taken on more DIY since joining the business. As a retailer you are asked for advice so much and, unless you’ve done something yourself, you don’t know what to recommend. It’s having that experience to help suggest the right product or way to do something.” Meanwhile, the question on everyone’s lips is, what has Hafod got in store for people this Christmas? “People keep asking when we’re doing our next film but how do you better it?” Tom says. “I thought we might leave them wanting more; leave it this year and maybe do one next year.”
20 JULY 2018 DIY WEEK 21
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