September 2022
ertonline.co.uk
Q&A
Q: How else is Smeg supporting its retailers, away from their own stores? Kris Horley: We have really ramped up our training support in the last few months, with lots of training dates in the diary. We’re seeing lots of retailers re-participating in on and offsite events post-pandemic, which is so nice to see. Also, behind the scenes, Smeg has further invested in its systems to enable smarter, more efficient working, ultimately designed to help better serve the customer, from trade portal information 24/7 through to sales systems used by our field teams in-store. John Davies: Another example is the change we’ve made to our group of regional Business Development Managers (BDMs). We’ve taken on some new team members in recent months and they are all spending more time with our partners now, taking on more of an advisory so they can understand each of their retailers’ businesses in more depth, whether it’s sales, training, display improvement or marketing. It’s been a massive change for us – with feedback from retailers reassuring us that our support is valued. We have also introduced a new internal Account Manager who checks in with our smaller dealers more regularly to make sure they have everything they need. This also provides another level of support in real time, such as stock and order enquiries, fielding questions and issue resolution, and this has been working well.
Q: You’ve made a lot of changes recently, but have you come up against any challenges? KH: Of course, stock is a bit of a challenge for all brands at the moment but in the last few years Smeg has made significant improvements in logistics with deliveries handled into our trade customers via Yusen Logistics, benefitting from good handling and regular delivery service.
Many people may associate us with our famous fridges and range cookers, but our built-in collections project us as a meaningful player in a host of other categories – with breath of range and specification options across dishwashing, sinks and taps, small appliances and cookware. It’s the complete proposition, especially for dealers that have started to evolve into kitchens. JD: Our retail partners don’t have to buy in bulk in order to compete on price, with strong margin opportunity to be had. We understand that from an independent’s point of view every move has to be a
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profitable one, but we know what works for them and we are always on hand to assist wherever we can. Q: You’ve mentioned the in-store theatre, how important is this to Smeg and its retailers? KH: It’s one of the most common things our retailers tell us – in-store events bring excitement and a hive of activity, as well as colour and visual interest when you add in some of our unique product ranges, and customers are really engaged by this. We believe in how consumers like to shop these days, and our partners are reflecting this to make their stores fit for the future. We just support them behind the scenes to make sure everything runs smoothly. And the results speak for themselves; where we have really nurtured the relationship between us and partner retailers, growth in business has been very encouraging and dealers are happy – which is brilliant!
Q: What about the power of your brand and maintaining a loyal customer base? JD: With such a broad range, consumers access Smeg for different products for different reasons. Our cookware and small appliances, for example, offer a new entry point for many – or an additional bolt-on sale – but it’s often a very different purchase to those looking to invest in a new refrigerator or range cooker, or even those exploring a whole new kitchen. Inspiring and communicating to these quite distinct categories always presents marketing challenges, from the use of social media through to digital and traditional advertising, product placement and influencer marketing campaigns to help us get closer to our customers and introduce ourselves to new audiences. >>
Smeg’s HQ near Oxford and its training kitchen
KH: Smeg is an Italian brand and our culture is defined by the kitchen being the real heart of the family home. I think lockdown taught us a lot about this, and people rediscovered their love of cooking as they spent more time together. And it’s been widely reported that consumers spent money during the pandemic upgrading their homes, introducing new kitchen appliances – some that are bold and bright and made to stand out, others that are sleek and built in. But there’s one underlying theme that is very important to us – attractive products that are designed to perform, utilising technology to reduce energy consumption, improve results and ultimately make life easier and more fun.
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