Focus Wickes trials new showroom concept

This new concept has been applied to a Focus store at Market Harborough in the east of England. Here a so-called Wickes Showroom has been integrated into the Focus outlet.
Part of the Wickes range is featured in a distinctive Showroom in the trial Focus outlet.
Five or six further outlets are expected to open as part of this trial. These will coincide with refitted Focus stores in locations where there are no existing Wickes outlets.
Focus has owned Wickes for the last two years, but up to this point the two trading formats had been kept separate. The 138 Wickes stores have a heavier trading format which appeals in particular to the serious DIYer and jobbing builder. Meanwhile the 290 Focus outlets have a lighter range with a greater emphasis on general home enhancement.
Now however the Focus Wickes Group is out to pool the synergies between the two formats by offering the Wickes ranges within a refitted Focus store. Comprising a distinct area in the store, the Wickes Showroom includes roomsets and kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and conservatory ranges for home delivery.
Customers order the required products, which are delivered as if from a standard Wickes store.
The Market Harborough pilot store features 20 roomsets in a display area of 300 m². The aim, says the company, is to assist consumers in carrying out more complex DIY projects by providing both inspiration and the products needed to put home improvement projects into effect.
A team of design consultants will run the Showroom, supported by a showroom assistant. They will report directly to a Wickes store manager. Products will be delivered from the Wickes central distribution facility or from suppliers direct to the customer at home, in the same way as if they had been ordered from a standard Wickes store.
According to Jill Keen, marketing director at Focus, “The introduction of the Wickes Showroom into the new Market Harborough store represents an exciting new initiative for Focus Wickes and gives us the opportunity to expand our customer offer.”
Colin Ball, marketing director at Wickes, says, “Not only is this a perfect extension of the Wickes brand and one that fully complements the existing Focus offer, but an obvious move for the brands in an increasingly consolidating market.”