The Hoover Aristocrat range comes with a three-year warranty and guaranteed margins. Trevor Culmer of Supa Electrics explains what difference stocking the brand makes for his business.
Established more than 40 years ago, Supa Electrics has three standalone white goods stores in Surrey and Kent, as well as a concession in the famous Allders department store in Croydon. Trevor Culmer, the owner of the business, is also a director of Combined Independents (Holdings).
Earlier this year, Mr Culmer took on Hoover Aristocrat, the exclusive range, available only to members of CIH. Mr Culmer says: “At a time when other brands are such bad news when it comes to margins, any dealer that does not latch on to Hoover Aristocrat is crazy, as we all need to make a decent margin. This business is all about margins; I cannot survive on some of the products out there and I have devoted more space in my stores to products on which I can make real margin.”
The Hoover Aristocrat range offers CIH members that have signed up to be Euronics agents guaranteed margins.
Mr Culmer explains: “We sell it at an agreed price; we’re not being greedy, we’re not asking for excessive margin, we’re just asking for a proper margin.” Under the agency agreement, agents cannot alter the price, which means, Mr Culmer says, that a level playing field exists. We don’t have to price match crazy prices,” he says.
The Hoover Aristocrat range consists of 12 products and covers all of the product categories in the freestanding market, backed by a three-year warranty.
Supa Electrics started selling Hoover Aristocrat in its concession at Allders in Croydon first and it has since added the range to its stores in Orpington and West Wickham. At the end of September, Supa Electric opened a store in Addiscombe, which too stocks Hoover Aristocrat.
Mr Culmer reports that refrigeration products and washing machines from the Hoover Aristocrat range are popular with his customers and he points out that the range of products is very highly specified.
In October, the Hoover Aristocrat range will expand with a new range of 54cm wide fridge-freezers. The staff at Supa Electric have signed up to Hoover’s exclusive reward scheme designed to allow retailers and their staff who sign up to the Hoover Display Plan. It has been designed to reward Hoover’s valued sales partners and give independents a helping hand.
Independents that sign up to Hoover’s Power Points initiative will receive a full range of PoS including window graphics and on product merchandise to help entice more customers through their doors.
