For years, the relationship between the kitchen retailers and their suppliers has largely centred around the fundamentals: product, price and availability. But as retailers face increasing pressure to operate efficiently and protect margins, the role of the supplier has evolved.
Increasingly, retailers are looking for relationships that can deliver value across the entire purchasing process – from the breadth of products available through to delivery, administration, service and commercial incentives. According to PWS, this reflects a broader shift in how independent kitchen retailers are thinking about their businesses.
“Retailers are understandably looking for competitive prices, but the relationship with a supplier can offer much more than that. It is about making the whole process as efficient as possible and understanding where there is additional value to be gained.”
– Paul Dorrington, Group Sales Director at PWS
Sourcing products – from doors to handles, taps to worksurfaces – usually includes splitting purchases between multiple suppliers, resulting in more time and budget being spent. Instead, retailers are increasingly looking at how bringing more elements of a project together from one supplier can make the overall process more efficient. Fewer orders means less administration, fewer deliveries to manage and fewer supplier relationships to coordinate. In addition, there can also be a commercial benefit.
Offering a one-stop shop, in addition to PWS’s huge collection of stocked doors in an array of styles and colours, the brand also provides a vast range of supporting accessories including handles, smart storage solutions, sinks and taps – as well as one of the UK’s comprehensive ranges of worksurfaces.
As part of PWS’s Total Order Rewards initiative, which launched earlier this year, the programme rewards retailers who consolidate purchases across multiple product categories, with discounts of up to 5% available based on total qualifying spend. By combining categories, the initiative is designed to help retailers simplify procurement through a single supplier, while increasing the value of their overall spend.
The initiative reflects PWS’s ongoing commitment to supporting customers with competitive pricing, varied product choice and added value across its extensive portfolio. It provides customers with a simple and convenient way to access additional savings, while streamlining and minimising the ordering process.
The Total Order Rewards programme is just an example of how suppliers are supporting retailers through this wide change in the industry. Suppliers are no longer competing solely on what they sell, but on the value they can provide around the products themselves. For retailers, that could mean taking a more holistic approach to purchasing. The question is no longer simply ‘Who sells this product at the best price?’ but it may increasingly be ‘Which purchasing approach delivers the best overall value for my business?’
For PWS, this means continuing to look beyond individual product categories and considering the wider needs of the independent retailer. By bringing together product choice, availability, service and commercial support, the aim is to make it easier for retailers to manage their businesses efficiently while getting more value from the relationships they already have with their suppliers.
sales-support@pws.co.uk
01325 505599
