Competing with Howdens Joinery

I was the commercial director at Benchmarx, until January 2019. I’d been there since the start of a project and was part of a small team of senior managers that was asked to set up a project to set up a trade kitchen business, for the Travis Perkins group, that sprang out of combined efforts of Wickes and Travis Perkins. The four senior managers set up a test format which was deemed successful, and then we went on to open, from a standing start of zero, up to 187 branches, to take on the trade kitchen market. I was looking after the product marketing of the business, so was in charge of the range, what we sold, how much we sold it for and how we marketed it to tradesmen and customers.

In 2006, it was more retailed dominated, I’d say. You still had the DIY sheds trading successfully, in that arena. Other than Magnet Trade and Howdens, there weren’t any real multiple trade businesses, to speak of; there were lots of independents in the sector. It was mainly retail oriented, with installation services provided by retailers. But the trade business was seen to be a growing part of the sector, and that’s proved to be the case, since then.

The trade and retail businesses are very similar, but targeted to two distinct types of customers. The trade operation is built around the tradesperson and their needs. Specifically, local branches, within a 20-minute drive time; well stocked, so things can be collected straightaway; negotiated prices with the local branch management; and a service and price really packaged around them and their needs. It’s all about local relationships, having a great relationship with the local branch management and looking after the tradesmen in every way they can.

Whereas, for retail, it’s the mass market; it’s not about the relationship, but about appealing to consumer’s needs and aspirations, trying to get them into the store to spend. The trade area is much more about working behind the scenes, to build up relationships with the tradesmen and demonstrate that you can deliver on time, reliably, at a great price, with a great service and a great product. It’s all about being built around the very specific needs of a tradesman. They don’t want to shop in retail. They don’t want to queue; they don’t want to wait behind consumers. They want to go straight to a place where they are recognized and can get served quickly and readily.

There was a time when people would go off and do their kitchens themselves or get their mate or a friend or a builder to do it. The skill base is disappearing, certainly for consumers; no one is keen to tackle those sort of jobs anymore. We’ve heard the phrase, time poor; people want more do-it-for-them services. The tradesman is in a perfect place to help them do that. They can come in and, basically, take the project off them, in lots of ways. That’s where the trade kitchen sector steps in and helps the tradesman do that and tries to make it easy for everyone to do business. It’s just a general shift in consumer patterns, towards wanting more people to do it for them, I think.

Typically, you will have been thinking about a kitchen for some time; perhaps for a considerable time and maybe years. You’re out shopping in B&Q and DIY stores at weekends, you’re online, browsing; you’re being fed TV adverts from Wren. Over time, you are accumulating a notion that you want a new kitchen. You get a little bit more serious and you start visiting retail branches, because you probably don’t know about Howdens yet. You start getting a few quotes and then you want to talk to a builder and he will step in, at that stage, and say, the good news is, I can get you want you want, at trade prices. Here’s a Howdens brochure; have a look through there, choose what you want and I can get it for you at a trade price. The consumer feels as if they are getting a good deal and the tradesman is fulfilling his role in helping the customer make an easy decision.