Even though the economy has had its woes, Brights Hardware has had consistent growth over the last decade and has grown to become one of the most respected DIY, hardware and building retailsuppliers in the Western Cape. With their growing customer base and plans for further expansion, the company is continuously investing in new products and facilitiesto solidify its reputation as a proactive all-round solutions provider for the Western Cape consumer.
As a South African, one would experience a wide range of challenges. These are all real challenges facing people and as a company Brights face them too. In just one year the business has experienced interrupted and inconsistent power supply, an extremely volatile exchange rate and one of the worst droughts to ever to hit the country.
These challenges must be met and by offering industry leading solutions, Brights now stands out among the rest.
Brights is not a hardware retailer that just sells goods, it is a hardware retailer that invests in staff and community and listens to staff and customers. When load shedding took effect, the company sourced and negotiated various products at excellent prices with the correct technical advice.
“Initially, we looked at generators and then legislation came in regarding the noise, then we looked at silent inverter generators and finally we focussed on UPS-type inverters with solar connections – they call them hybrid inverters and you can charge batteries and create power for other parts of the home. With Eskom continuously pushing for increase’s South African power is going to become very expensive. UPS type invertors with solar connections will reduce power usage and save you money,” explains CEO, Orlando Luis
Another problem area where Brights is seeking to help is with the country’s drought difficulties. The South African Weather Service recently announced that 2015 was the driest year on record and it shows no sign of abating. In early January, Marico in North West recorded temperatures of 45°C and the hot and dry conditions are expected to continue for at least another two months.
“This year, with the El Niño effect, the drought will get worse. This is going to affect us all and as we adapted during load shedding we will be forced to adapt to the shortage of our most precious resource, water.
“We have invested in a wide variety of water saving products to enable us all to save as much water as possible. We have sourced products that reduce the evaporation of water and items that save water. For example, we’re offering pool covers, units to connect to taps to reduce the flow, new shower heads to ensure less water is used, tanks for storing grey water, cleaning products that require no water and garden watering products that control water usage – these are only the tip of the iceberg. Since the beginning of the year, we have focussed on products that conserve water;as a company we are incentivising our stores to reduce water and 20% is not the bench mark it’s the starting point,” explains Luis.
A SOLUTIONS PROVIDER
Helping customers to solve problems is a trait that Brights has become known for over the years. Originally founded as an electrical contracting and repairs company before opening the first warehouse in Stikland, Cape Town in 1995, providing solutions is part of the company’s pedigree.
“Our company comes from a technical background, we used to do maintenance and repairs, so we’ve always been a solution driven company for our customers,” says Luis. “When we started the hardware store, we grew the product line to 40,000 products with the idea of sourcing anything that a customer might require. Back in the 70’s and 80’s, if we didn’t have something, we would put it in our special order book. When products in this book became more popular we would turn it into a product line.
“We’ve always continued in this vein as businesses have to have the mind-set of listening to the customer, understanding the needs and providing solutions when people are in distress when it comes to a product or a technology.”
And it seems like this unrelenting focus on customer satisfaction has bought about positive results for the company, even during tough economic times.
“10 years ago, we only had two stores and now we have seven so you can see the massive growth that we’ve had. Even during the recession years we remained positive and we’re always working on our systems and morals that have bought us this far. We always stay positive and continue to look at opportunities that you can find in the marketplace no matter how bad the recession. As long as you always meet the needs of the customer, they’ll always come back again,” says Luis.
NEW STORES
The retail environment is a tough place right now; research shows that people have less money to spend because of economic turmoil. Euromonitor International suggests that the retail environment often reflects the economic situation in a nation but in June 2015, the research company also found that home and garden in South Africa recorded positive growth despite the tough economic conditions that continued to diminish consumer confidence.
Luis is certainly not one to dwell on reports of a sluggish economy and he has started 2016 searching for new products and new customers to strengthen the company’s position.
“You can’t rely on your existing clientele forever, you have to go into areas that have traditional industries but also new developments,” he says. “You must have a diverse product and client range. When one product line slows, you must have something else to pull you through. Along with meeting the needs of our customers, that is why we have such a large product range and that is why we needed to expand the distribution centre.
“Cape Town is always growing so we have looked to spread up to 100km from the city and we’ve strategically located our stores approximately 10km from each other, in all the growth areas to the North and to the East.
“We will continue the expansion by growing our distribution centre throughout 2016. It’s been on the cards for a while but because we’ve been opening new stores, three in four years, that has caused us to consolidate slightly.
“Opening new stores is a possibility but only when the distribution centre has been completed. We are a family business and we would like to stay in the Western Cape, there’s no doubt about that,” he adds.
DIY DEVELOPMENT
Development of the distribution centre will provide Brights with a new base for expansion and will also reinforce the strength of the seven existing stores. An extra 5000m2will allow for new product ranges and a comfortable and efficient supply to the branch network.
“We’ve reached a point now where our existing distribution capacity for the seven stores needs to be expanded to take us to the next level. If we want to open stores in the future, we have to get ourselves to the next level from a procurement perspective as we can only just meet the needs of the seven stores right now,” explains Luis.
Growing the distribution centre will also help when it comes to expanding the customer base. By investing in the company’s website, and making the most of a growing number of people who research and shop online, Brights is looking to continue increasing its female clientele.
“What we have noticed is that more woman visit our website,” says Luis. “Female involvement is 55% and male 45%. In the stores, more visitors are male. Women are becoming much more involved in hardware projects .There’s no doubt that they will enjoy our website. Not spilling too many beans, but we have some exciting new developments in the pipeline with regards to our social media platforms.”
The company is embracing its growing number of female customers and actively supports a local initiative which encourages the development of DIY and hardware skills with women. When the company was approached to get involved with DIY classes aimed specifically at ladies who want to learn new skills, Brights did not hesitate , providing workbenches, vices, toolsets, saws, cordless drills for use at these classes along with expert advice where needed.
All of these developments mean that Brights Hardware will be in an extremely strong position, in what is a competitive market, for the challenges that 2016 will throw its way.
“We are also changing our stores, making them cleaner, neater, easier and quicker to shop in; this is mixed with engaging and knowledgeable staff who don’t shy away from their customers. We want our customers to experience a ‘wow’ shopping experience both on the sales floor and online. Visit our stores and experience the difference in care you receive,” concludes Luis.