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Industry News 
CIH reviews the difficult trading year
CIH bosses criticise the damaging effect of reducing credit limits
Published:  20 January, 2010

The last year proved to be very difficult for CIH which, in line with rest of the industry, had no control over many external economic factors, such as reduction of credit limits which has caused some members to retire early, said Robin Millwood, chairman of the buying group, speaking at the annual CIH Suppliers Luncheon. “It seems like CIH has become a property company with now having 20 first charges on members’ properties and many of these members have been solid supporters of CIH for years and have never missed a payment, but payment records and credibility do not appear to account for anything in today’s difficult trading environment.”

 
Independent Electrical Retailer

The Independent Electrical Retailer (IER) is the leading monthly magazine for independent electrical retailers in the UK. The title provides retailers with an authoritative mix of business, market and product information across the three main sectors of the electrical trade: consumer electronics; major domestic appliances; small appliances. IER is also read by senior personnel in relevant multiple retailers, leading manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and service providers.

Industry News 
Dynamic demand technology tests begin
Indesit Company, RLtec and npower roll out world’s first residential test of smart fridges
Published:  20 January, 2010

Indesit Company, energy supplier npower and RLtec, the smart grid technology company, are about to begin a UK trial of fridges fitted with grid-balancing technology.

The dynamic demand technology, developed by RLtec and Indesit research teams, helps to maintain the balance between supply and demand across the national electricity grid. Through 2010, up to 3,000 UK npower customers will be supplied with Indesit Company dynamic demand fridges and fridge freezers, free of charge, in what will be world’s first residential test of the technology.

Industry News 
Miele opens London showroom
Miele invites customers in the South East to experience its products
Published:  20 January, 2010

Miele recently opened its experiential showroom in Cavendish Place, Central London.   The Miele Gallery London offers visitors a hands-on experience of a range of working cooking, cleaning and laundry appliances. Visitors can also test a washing machine programme on a favourite garment, and even put a Miele vacuum cleaner through its paces to test its performance.

Special Reports 
Motivated to service
BSH Customer Service won the coveted D&G Total Excellence and Quality Service Award for 2009, with 94.5% of customers giving it top marks. Anna Ryland went to BSH Group’s customer service centre in Kettering to examine how the system works to deliver such results.
Published:  20 January, 2010

The central hub of the BSH customer support system is the Customer Service Centre in Kettering, dealing with all four of the company’s brands – Bosch, Siemens, Neff and Gaggenau. Opened in 2006, it includes a contact centre handling engineer visit requests, replacement spare part sales, customer liaison and product advice. It also provides a centralised location for phone calls, letters and emails related to customer service, and works closely with the BSH HQ in Milton Keynes. Other back up staff, based in Kettering, provide support for field service engineers and IT services.

Features 
Digital tide is rising
The North West region going digital was an important milestone in the switchover process. George Cole investigates what manufacturers and organisations such as Digital UK and Freesat are doing to help consumers and retailers to make the digital switch.
Published:  20 January, 2010

The digital switchover reached an important milestone at the end of 2009, when the North West region began the move from analogue to digital on 4 November, with the process due to be completed on 2 December. It’s important because, it’s the first major urban region to make the change, and includes cities such as Manchester and Liverpool. Around seven million viewers in this region are estimated to be affected by the switchover. On the face of it, the digital switchover is progressing well. According to Ofcom figures for the end of September 2009, the number of households with TV sets that could receive digital TV was 89.8%, with an average of 2.4 digital capable sets per household.

Special Reports 
Staying at the top of the game
Retail training is even more vital in recession. Independents who wish to stay in business understand its importance and are willing to invest in training their staff by taking advantage of manufacturers’ offers. Anna Ryland checked the options.
Published:  20 January, 2010

In a difficult economic climate some companies adopt the ‘slash and burn’ approach to staff training. This often causes damage to relationships with customers at a time when competition is fierce and high satisfaction levels are vital to survival. A recent poll conducted by the Institute of Customer Service found that 30% of organisations surveyed have cut investment in customer service training, and 21% have laid off customer-facing staff in 2009. At the same time the Institute’s research shows that companies with a reputation for service excellence and committed frontline staff have a 24% higher net profit margin than same-sector rivals who do not enjoy similar standing.

Sales Skills 
Developing your people
Did you know that the best way to approach male customers is face to face, standing directly opposite them? However, this would intimidate most of your female customers who prefer to stand at a 45% angle to the salesperson. If you or your staff are not aware of these facts you would benefit from the sales skills training conducted by retra and delivered by George Morton. Anna Ryland reports.
Published:  20 January, 2010

The most important asset of any business are its employees. It is also the one most difficult to manage and retain. Their loyalty (‘longevity’) to a great extent depends on their professional satisfaction – their ability to do their job well. In retail, this is mostly down to their sales skills which, although they can be mastered through years of practice, can also be taught and learnt – as with any other discipline.

*** 
Reviews from the Top
Published:  20 January, 2010

The beginning of the year is a good time for reflection on the developments of the past twelve months and the lessons which can be learnt from recent experiences and challenges.

As in previous years, IER has approached the executives of the leading players in the electrical industry for their views on the performance of their companies and the impact of the market forces on their operations in 2009. We also asked them to make some predictions, however difficult this might be in the current trading conditions, of what’s to come in 2010.

We hope that you will find this information interesting and indicative of the state of the electrical market as a whole.

More . . .

Poll

What is you main concern at present?

  • trade credit availability
  • falling customer demand
  • rise in rent rates
  • burden of laws and regulations
  • competition from internet traders
  • fluctuating exchange rates

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