ADVERTISING FEATURE
Andy Pickford , Knees Managing Director , shares the story behind the move .
When the opportunity arose to snap up the new White Horse Business Park site we jumped at the chance . A building like this doesn ' t become available every day , so we moved fast and decisively to secure it . We are really excited about this move and can ' t wait to offer our loyal customers a more refined shopping experience .
What this new building gives us is a platform to provide our customers with a wonderful opportunity to see our aspirational and lifestyle products in an experiential space . By consolidating our entire operation under one roof , we can connect our physical and digital offering and provide our customers with a more efficient and hassle-free service proposition . This is all part of our plan to continue to evolve as a digital-first omnichannel retailer .
Modern retail was already evolving but the pandemic has quickened the pace more significantly than anyone could ever have imagined . That change of course is the acceptance and volume of transactions being completed online .
We are all consumers and we all live very fast paced lives . In such a commercialdriven world , online is a convenient and trusted purchasing medium . Because of the restrictions through the lockdowns , people had no choice but to use online . On top of that , being unable to leave the house , people went digital from a recreational perspective to cure boredom as they had more free time available . The pandemic has forced a demographic of consumers to use online shopping , who were previously highly resistent . These people ( or a large proportion of them ) had a positive experience of online shopping and wondered why they hadn ' t used it sooner . They now have the confidence to buy in this way and will continue to do so . As a result , a whole new group of previously untapped customers are now brought into online as a way of shopping . Due to the many positive aspects to shopping online for consumers , retailers now have to find alternative reasons for consumers to come to their showrooms and stores . That ' s where experience lead concepts are now required to create theatre , and a greater focus on investment , aspirational and lifestyle product offerings to bring consumers to physical locations . This puts the consumer in charge , giving them the option to touch , see and feel the products before committing to a purchase which gives them the option of buying in store on the day , or purchasing at home at their leisure when they ' re ready to commit .
Our new showroom is aligned with exactly what I ' ve outlined above . An experiential lead showroom with in store cooking demonstrations and special events where we can interact and give our customers a reason to visit us .
Our product range will focus on investment purchases and will include kitchens , range cookers and built-in appliances . When people are making such significant decisions , it ' s important for them to be able to come in and interact with the products to solidify their decisions .
Individual freestanding products are usually functional purchases driven by necessity of performing a task or a distress purchase due to a machine breakdown . The consumer just wants the convenience of the machine quickly , delivered at a time to suit . That type of purchase is perfectly suited to online shopping and is what we ' re seeing more and more . Because of this , we will have just a carefully curated offering of freestanding products in our new showroom , with a wider range available to buy online .
The biggest external influence in our business over the next five years is going to be consumer buying habits and by making these changes we ' re ahead of the curve . Our new space in Trowbridge offers a core foundation for our talented team to flourish and for us to invest in continually evolving our offering to suit our customer ' s needs .
Our Malmesbury customers will be pleased to hear that the Malmesbury store remains an important part of our physical proposition . After significant investment in this store , despite Covid ' s challenges we are seeing an encouraging trading performance .
We look forward to welcoming you to browse our products in-store and online soon . Follow us on social media and keep an eye on the news area of our website for more exciting developments as they happen .
Check out our website and follow us on social media . www . knees . co . uk @ kneesretail
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2021 11