NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF


n Aggregate Industries has won a number of industry awards for its work on restoring and improving biodiversity at its sites. The leading construction materials supplier has been recognised for its achievements in six separate categories at the recent Mineral Products Association (MPA)’s Restoration and Biodiversity Awards.


n Brushware and homeware specialist, Charles Bentley & Son, has brushed up its senior management team with the appointment of new sales director, Steve Law. The Loughborough-based firm has created the new role to support on-going growth and to deliver additional support and in-store excellence to trade partners, as it develops a strategy to meet the company’s ambitions.


n Homebase has selected M&C Saatchi Public Relations to run its consumer PR, corporate PR and social media activity for the next two years. The agency joins a newly appointed roster of marketing and creative agencies working with Homebase to support the retailer’s turnaround plan.


n Houseplants were the best sellers for a second month in a row (September 2019) at garden centres across the country, according to the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) Barometer of Trade report. Sales were up 12.34 per cent compared to the same month last year. Iain Wylie, GCA chief executive, said: “The trend for houseplants doesn’t look like it’s going away any time soon, and after a positive August, it’s great to see that sales in this department remained up for September as well.”


n With the news that there will now be a December general election, James Clark, director of policy and communications at the Horticultural Trades Association, has said: “Having a strong and vibrant British horticultural sector is vital for sustainable economic growth and environmental development. We will be engaging all the political parties in the coming weeks with our policy proposals.”


4 DIY WEEK 08 NOVEMBER 2019


Homebase partners with Neptune to support focus on customer service


Homebase has chosen Neptune


Platform to


Software’s support


product inventory


DX the


development of IT solutions that will help simplify customer ordering,


and supplier management. The new approach is part of Homebase’s turnaround plan, helping to streamline its operations, continue to save costs and allow teams to focus on providing the best customer service. Homebase saw the benefits of empowering its team members


with mobile apps with the creation of a new ‘product look- up’ App that allowed the store


Christmas Tree Wonderland to dazzle Bournemouth


Following the success of


the inaugural Christmas Tree Wonderland Festival in 2018, Bournemouth is again getting ready to stage a magical, mystical and memorable event from 15 November – 2 January 2020.


The centre of town and beyond will be lit up by the Christmas Tree Wonderland Trail made up of 100 diverse and dazzling trees, extraordinary illuminations and light installations which run from the seafront and the majestic big wheel,


through


the Victorian Lower Gardens to the bustling Alpine Market


in The Square. Bournemouth’s own Wonderland Tree stands 60ft tall with 30,000 individually programmed lights and performs spellbinding musical light shows,


enchanting


who comes to visit. Meanwhile stunning replicas of international Christmas trees make a return to the trail, representing Moscow, St Petersburg, Warsaw, Bethlehem and Seattle.


New attractions for 2019 include cascading lights and a very special Santa’s sleigh at the new Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf at Pier Approach; a giant


everyone


seven metre golden reindeer outside Beales department store in the centre of town where Santa’s Grotto can be found; the crimson red ten-metre Tree of Light in the middle of the trail and the enchanting icicle filled Polar Walk, nestled above the uplit bandstand.


Home design predictions for 2020 from Houzz


Leading platform for home renovation and design, Houzz, has shared


its top home


design trend predictions. With a community of millions of homeowners and home renovation and design professionals around the world, Houzz has insights into how people are renovating their homes. These trends were compiled by using Houzz data from hundreds


Topps Tiles launches new website


with dedicated trade platform clever features including artificial intelligence (AI) and user- friendly filters and tools. With intelligent design at the core, the new sites will deliver an omni- channel shopping platform for a seamless purchase experience for the user. For


In a bold step to meet the changing habits of modern consumers, Topps Tiles has launched a brand new trade and consumer website, with customer experience features and


stunning visualisation


tools at the heart of its design. Developed over 18 months, both sites boast a range of


the thoughtful trade website, features include the


of home design photos, past articles and information professional


designers. colours


from It


brings together a collection of materials,


and other


home design ideas that we can expect to see a lot more of in 2020. Houzz home design trend predictions for 2020 include: colourful kitchens; sustainability; black interiors; bamboo; green schemes; statement-making bathrooms; and navy bedrooms.


automatic storing of VAT receipts for purchases made online and in store and the ability to buy in bulk. These functions have been designed to make the website a frictionless and efficient digital service that understands


requirements of those who are self-employed.


As the AI abilities on the platform become smarter, it will in turn recommend products that are relevant to the user in order to make the journey as easy as possible for returning customers.


team to search for items via a mobile device. With the adoption of a low-code platform and agile development processes through Neptune’s DX Platform, further developments of the app will include functionality to reserve and order the item quickly and in real-time, as well as simplifying how customers order kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms, both in store and online. Key to the initiative is joining up information from supply-chain and supplier systems to make it simple for the customer to know if the product


is available, how quickly it can be delivered and precisely when their purchase is due to arrive. Paul Cannon, Director of IT, Homebase, commented: “We want to empower our teams with the right, cutting edge technology which allows them to deliver the best possible customer service. Gone are the days of complex integration


projects that take


years to complete. Now we build a new experience, roll it out to a single store, and if it works it can be live across the business in weeks.”


BMA pledges to make compliance number one priority


Incoming BMA CEO, Tom


Reynolds laid out bold plans to tackle non-compliance in the bathroom industry at a Compliance Seminar, held the day before the 2019 Bathroom & Kitchen Business Conference. Reynolds promised that the BMA was determined to ramp up the noise on the compliance issue, educating consumers and stakeholders as well as lobbying government in order to break through the myths and lack of understanding about the level of non-compliance. “We will make our voices


heard so that we can create a level playing field and eradicate those that continue to flout the law and put end users at risk,” said Reynolds. The


seminar included a


preview of a new online tool developed in partnership with Keele


University, designed to demystify what it means to be compliant. The tool is aimed primarily at professionals within the bathroom industry such as manufacturers, installers, retailers, and distributers. It will guide visitors through a process that will help them identify what is required to confirm compliance. In addition,


the BMA the


confirmed that it will soon be finalising its Primary Authority status with Nottinghamshire County Council. Nick Kingett from Nottingham Trading Standards gave a presentation outlining the partnership and the benefit it would bring to the BMA’s compliance campaign. “The


initiatives we have


announced today will play an important role in helping us drive forward the compliance agenda,” added Reynolds. “We will also be raising awareness with a series of workshops and seminars.”


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