EXECUTIVE REPORT
Pictured from left, Richmond’s Dave Moore, Dave Denby and Lee Panton.
Individual character
Alan Guthrie discovers that the design of Richmond Plant Hire’s Kirkby-in-Ashfield depot reflects the character of the operation and way the company likes to do business.
The first thing that strikes you on entering Richmond Plant Hire’s depot in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, is its highly individual character. This is due to the design of its retail area which is regularly updated, having undergone its latest re-design shortly before EHN’s visit. As well as tools, consumables and other items for sale, the shop is filled with construction-related artefacts and oddments that make it a cross between a museum and Dr Who’s Tardis, as well as a hire outlet.
Depot Manager Dave Denby says the shop’s atmosphere reflects the friendly, informal way in which the company does business, helping to build a rapport with customers. Many call in regularly for a coffee and a chocolate bar from a machine opposite the hire desk to see what is new in the display, which is co-ordinated by Dave and Hire Controller Lee Panton.
which can be updated quickly,” said Dave Denby. “We did the latest re-fit in an environmentally-friendly manner, using recycled items wherever possible. We installed the timber floor ourselves using boards salvaged from an old warehouse where a customer was working, and the stools at the hire counter came from the cosmetics department of a local Boots store that was being re-fitted.”
Much of the retail area is made from recycled materials.
A particularly jaw-dropping attraction is the rear of a van protruding into the shop from one of the walls, again constructed by staff themselves, complete with a high-viz clad dummy’s legs emerging from the back wheels. The vehicle doors open to create an additional display space. Elsewhere, on close inspection, the elegant orange
lights on some of the display tables have lampshades that are actually hard hats. Look down at your feet and you may see a manhole cover embedded in the floor.
To recap, Richmond Plant Hire was founded ten years ago by MD David Moore, who opened its first depot in Long Bennington, to the south of Newark, specialising in compact plant such as Bobcat mini excavators, Thwaites dumpers, Bomag rollers and related equipment. The Kirkby outlet was acquired in 2009, having previously been a branch of BHE Ltd, managed by Dave Denby. As well as providing a second location in a busy urban area, it allowed the business to add smaller tools and equipment to its range.
Modular configuration
The rear of the van in the shop is certainly eye-catching.
The shop is fitted out in a modular way to allow the displays to be moved and reconfigured easily, rather than using static racking. “This enables us to create something rather different
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Some of the special objects displayed on the shelves include an old soldering iron fuelled by methylated spirits, a manual typewriter, a hand-cranked fire alarm, a miners’ safety lamp, a Morse code sender discovered on a customer’s site and originally from a Lancaster bomber, a Singer sewing machine and an analogue voltmeter. Pictures of tools that cannot be identified are uploaded on the company’s Facebook page to see if they can be recognised. “People are now bringing in things they discover, which is great because they come in to talk and then do business,” said Dave Moore. “One day a customer brought in some old letters dating back to World War II that he came across, and that’s what started it all off, really. It’s a bit of fun that is really appreciated, and it helps to set us apart.”
This light-hearted approach was on show last Christmas. The shop area had a tree constructed entirely from 130 wooden slats taken from 19 pallets, and this is going to be raffled for charity in November. For its seasonal greetings card Lee Panton (a talented photographer who took the pictures of the shop illustrating this article) adapted characters in the Nativity scene with faces of Richmond Plant Hire personnel. The Holy Infant was one of the company’s drivers, and the wise men bore power tools rather than the traditional gifts.
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