Off the back of a strong summer, German wardrobe wizard Rauch is looking ahead to a season of shows and further success. Furniture News caught up with Rauch’s head of UK business Peter Friend, to find out more about the opportunities for existing and would-be stockists in his territory …
It’s been just over a year since you joined Rauch – how are you finding the marketplace?
I’d say business is ticking along pretty healthily! July was certainly positive. In all, it’s been an OK summer. We’ve analysed a lot of sales data and applied our findings to retailer displays, which is working well. And those stock-light retailers that had previously been stock heavy are taking advantage of some great purchasing opportunities from us, finally freeing up space for new lines and additional volumes.
One year in, there’s still no firm trading patterns, as such – but we’re doing pretty well.
Where are you finding growth in the UK?
It’s still a mixed bag. Some areas of the business are performing massively above expectations, and others below. One area that’s working really well is our UK customer base that utilises our DHD service – growth here has a really positive effect for our logistics P&L.
What approaches are your most successful stockists taking with your product?
Buying more of it! Aside from volumes, though, we’re seeing definite uplifts from the right application. We’re blessed with masses of data, and, as I mentioned, we’ve been able to analyse this and apply it logically across the business – which is working really well when it comes to retailers’ new displays.
What’s new in terms of product?
We’re in the process of introducing a hybrid of our premium wardrobe range. It’s a modular system, and provides real solutions for individual customer needs.
The concept behind it originates from ranges that have been refined (from both manufacturing and design perspectives). This makes delivery of even better quality/price value possible. It also sharpens our good/better/best offer for our product quality segments, yet still providing enough variation in product to address different levels of the market.
How else is Rauch refining its offer?
One of our current main focuses has been both the field and back office sales team. On the road we now have Mike Tattersall on board – he’s responsible for our customers in the North West of England, and Scotland, and has both great customer and product knowledge.
Rauch stalwart Brian Westman continues to be responsible for central UK, and David Bark has extended his southern area to the South East of England too.
Matthew Kirk stretches his North East England patch by jumping over to Northern Ireland every month or so, while Trevor Nash, our key account merchandiser, is taking on more responsibility for looking after our independent customers, as well as for training and PoS support. Our aim is for Trevor to be joined by an additional merchandiser later in the year.
Our back office continues to develop an improved company sales support culture, managed by Vicky Adams. There’s also lots more focus on our DHD service, led by Catherine Wilson, who has returned to the team at 100mph to deliver our new DHD portal software! The whole home delivery operation has improved thanks to our own DHD portal, which offers real-time updates and PODs for our retailers.
How are you looking to take Rauch’s DHD proposition forward?
Currently, the process operates with MTO-only goods, which are typically in customers’ homes in anything from 7-9 weeks. Our big customers know the importance of rapid delivery to consumers – this is a demand that we’ve already satisfied in other markets, so applying this experience throughout is key to growth.
The other side of this is dealing with more individual customers’ bespoke designs and requirements, where our teams are offering more of a bespoke service.
How are you planning to take the brand to market in the coming months?
We will of course be showcasing the brand at our annual German trade event in September, and will have a strong emphasis on our new premium product at this year’s Brussels Furniture Fair.
On top of that, we’ll be working hard to grow the success of our at-home fair in Germany for UK customers this November (11th to 22nd), which was very well received last autumn. The opportunity to display our product portfolio in the perfect surroundings, coupled with a real insight into the company values – topped off with some German hospitality – is very valuable.
Would you recommend the latter for any prospective customers wishing to find out more about the business?
Absolutely. We’re happy to invite interested parties to our factory in Germany this November – our sales team will be in touch with a number of stockists, while new customers can contact me directly, via [email protected].
Based on last year’s experiences, visitors will see new products, manufacturing processes and logistics developments – all while enjoying some good old-fashioned German hospitality!
For anyone looking to properly engage with the brand, a visit is a must. You’ll enjoy complete immersion in our company and its values, have all your questions answered, and more. We are considering establishing a permanent showroom space here in the UK, but the opportunity to see first-hand where the company and its values originate from can’t be beaten.
