Agility and flexibility – wholesalers are ready to help

Surviving and thriving in 2023 is going to demand more agility and flexibility across the trade to find the most competitive options to appeal to cost-conscious consumers while maintaining margins within a lower volume of sales.

Wholesalers played a key role during the pandemic in providing new sources of stock as demand soared and the supply side struggled to keep up. Now, with the market turned on its head, the wholesaling sector has a new mission – to give retailers more options for maximum competitiveness in the face of heightened consumer price sensitivity.

The good news is that the UK’s wholesalers are more sophisticated and savvy than ever to meet this need with smart sourcing, high levels of stocking, reliable logistics and own label exclusivity.

Successful business in a tight market is all about reliability and the job of a distributor is to ensure retailers can keep their promises to customers on every one of those hard-won sales.

“Successful business in a tight market is all about reliability
and the job of a distributor is to ensure retailers can keep their promises to customers on every one of those hard-won sales."

Delivering on that promise nationwide needs commitment and investment and fast-growing distributor Likewise has a lot of both going into its logistics network, providing a daily service in most of the UK.

The logistics capacity of the Group has increased from 8 million cubic feet to 15 million cubic feet over the last year, from its two national distribution hubs in Leeds and Birmingham, plus distribution centres in Glasgow, Newcastle, Newbury, Sudbury and Peckham. A new distribution hub in Glasgow opens early next year, in addition to a new facility in Sidcup replacing Peckham. 

Meanwhile, Likewise is growing its portfolio of products to offer competitive ranges across the widest range of sectors, including established brands like A&A, Bruce Starke, Dandy, H&V, Delta and Lewis Abbot alongside a growing selection of Likewise own brands. “We have become a leading flooring distribution business in the UK. With a scale and scope that means that we can provide retailers with the very best service to back up for their business,” says Likewise CEO Tony Brewer.

Two of the country’s other biggest brands in wholesaling, Headlam and Kellars are powering forward with major business development projects backed by substantial investment.

 “We have become a leading flooring distribution business
in the UK. With a scale and scope that means that we can provide retailers with the very best service to back up for their business,”
says Likewise CEO Tony Brewer.

For Headlam, the headline is “Everyroom”, a new, price-competitive brand which has been launched as a direct response to the cost-of-living crisis. “Headlam is delighted to be able to offer our customers a new and competitively priced product collection under the exclusive Everyroom brand,” said Chris Payne, Headlam CEO.

“Everyroom will help our customers to secure sales,
particularly at a time when consumers are more cost-conscious.“

The "Everyroom" brand comprises 15 ranges – 16 carpet and two cushion vinyl – exclusive to Headlam with trade prices from £3.58m² for rolls and £4.19m² for cuts.

Kellars are expanding fast and have recently introduced a selection of new carpet products, a whole new LVT range and branded point-of-sale stands at high and low-price points. Expect more in 2023!

The group invests strongly in its own exclusive brands to grow this portfolio including over 300 products in its Centicus, Amphora and Senteos carpet collections; 22 decors of LVT/SPC in its Unico Allora Herringbone, SPC Plank and Rigid-Tile ranges and 11 ranges in the Octavian Vinyl Collection. 

Kellars has been building its distribution network to become one of the largest across the UK with warehouse space of over 400,000 ft² in four depots – Shildon, Stockport, Glasgow and Rugby – and investment in stock, transportation and logistics system to match.

The much higher than usual energy bills expected this winter, and the rampant inflation will be driving consumers to shop around more in the coming months or even completely refrain from spending money on non-essential purchases, like flooring, says Ballister. 

To help retailers and flooring contractors stay competitive, and to lend a hand in their effort to convince the end users to spend their money with them, Ballister has added F. Ball & Co. Ltd. adhesives and smoothing compounds to their stock portfolio. 

Furthermore, Ballister stocks a comprehensive range of private label carpets, carpet tiles, LVT and laminate flooring that give their customers an upper hand when quoting against flooring contractors that only use the national distributors. 

“Faced with the uncertain times ahead, we believe that
the smaller, local wholesalers will be able to maintain their
service levels better than the larger ones, and they will prove to
be a more dependable partner to flooring retailers in need
of flexibility and personalised service,”
says Marius Lazar of Ballister

Through a network of independent wholesalers across the UK and Ireland, for the last 40 years floorwise has offered retailers an extraordinary range of quality products backed by the very best in local service. 

Working hard to ensure that its impressive product portfolio meets the needs of retailers looking for quality and value, floorwise leads the way in solutions that provide valuable up-sell opportunities while improving the quality of installations. Retailers have come to rely on the floorwise name as the start of fantastic floors, but also for providing service from a network of distributors that truly understand the needs of its customers. 

Richard Bailey, managing director, floorwise:
“We are unique in the way in which we operate, a collective
effort of members that combines local knowledge and an understanding of customers with products that are specified to deliver retailers exceptional value and great quality. Whether underlay or our new healthier F597 Heavy Duty Spray Adhesive; the floorwise name will always stand for quality and value backed by great service and this is something we are hugely proud of.”

STS are a key flooring distributor in the South East which has invested strongly in developing an impressive network of five depots and trade counters in Orpington, Croyden, Hemel Hampsteasd, Basildon and Cambridge.

STS stocks over 6,000 product lines from more than 50 manufacturers and offers a next-day delivery service from stock of all flooring materials and accessories, including luxury vinyl tiles, safety floors, carpet and carpet tiles, hardwood, laminate, and accessories including screeds, adhesives, nosings, underlays, metals and tools.

The latest cloud-based logistics management platform is giving customers access to live delivery tracking and the company’s commitment to the demanding standards of ISO 9001-2015 ensure maximum professionalism and reliability.

  FOR MORE INFORMATION

Ballister • 020 8570 1668 • www.ballister.co.uk

Floorwise • 01509 673974 • www.floorwise.co.uk

Headlam • 01675 433000 • www.headlam.com

Kellars • 0161 443 0970 • www.kellars.co.uk

Likewise • 0121 817 2900 • www.likewiseplc.com 

STS Flooring • 0345 899 1000 • www.stsflooring.co.uk