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EYE ON QUALITY
Page 60
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Nigel Fincham has been sales and marketing director with the Bucks Group for just three months — but has already formulated clear plans for the Group's development.
• Three months ago Nigel Fincham joined specialist distribution company Bucks Group from DHL Elan where he had been national sales manager for two years. He was attracted to Bucks because of "its good reputation for high quality service", and believes that Hays acquired the company last November for similar reasons.
"Hays is a group of companies with quality in mind," says Fincham. "It saw Bucks as a company of quality in terms of its service and its potential. Bucks fits very nicely into the mix of companies already owned by Hays."
Although the operation is in the process of being "Haysed", with vehicles currently being reliveried, the Bucks image will be retained. "Bucks has a formidable reputation on the shopfitting side, in its transport, warehousing and distribution operations," says Fincham. "It will have a substantial role to play as part of Hays Specialist Distribution."
Among Bucks' major clients are Marks & Spencer, 13}1S, Waitrose, one of the big-four high-street banks and Children's World, the Boots babywear retail chain.
It collects shop fittings from major manufacturers and suppliers, stores them in its warehouses and delivers them as and when required.
The Marks & Spencer head office has direct computer links with Bucks' Draycott-in-the-Clay, Derbyshire base.
"This means we can respond immediately," explains Fincham. "For example, its head office sanctions orders of large, expensive items of equipment. Small orders can be made by individual retail stores via fax or post and around 17 of the larger stores can also order large items direct without reference to head office.
"The direct link means there is no tobig and fro-ing of paperwork, and Marks & Spencer has instant stock control."
Bucks also collects shop fittings from the stores, returns them to the warehouse, completes minor renovation work on the fittings where necessary and stores them until they are requested.
"We hold Santa Clauses ready for Christmas, mannequins, chairs, shelving, till points, trolleys, right down to clips," says Fincham. "We have everything that is not for sale to customers."
ORIGINAL BASE
Out of 30,000m2 of warehousing on the Draycott site, 6,400m2 is dedicated to Marks & Spencer. Bucks also has depots and warehousing facilities in Darlington, Maidstone and at the company's original base at Deptford in south-east London.
"For the retail trade we can also completely fit or refurbish new stores," says Fincham. "This requires the unloading of shopfitting equipment in sequence, so that the fitters can do their jobs efficiently.
We have vehicles in place to take away the old fittings and then phase-in delivery vehicles so that the right equipment arrives at the right time.''
Current warehouse facilities are near capacity so the company is planning further development of the Draycott site and has already obtained planning permission to build on 3,200m2 of land.
The other half of the Hays specialist distribution operation is its home-delivery service. This had been under Buck's auspices, but now has its own identity and specialises in the home delivery of white and brown goods and furniture for a major retail furniture chain, "We see ourselves as an extension of the retail store," Fincham says. "It is essential that we leave the consumer with a positive feeling about how their goods were delivered. Manufacturers assist with the training so that, if required, drivers can plumb in washing machines, for instance."
More than 4,000m2 of warehousing and offices are dedicated to the home delivery service in Wellingborough, Northants.
Bucks runs over 60 vehicles, ranging from 7.5-tonne Leyland Roadrunners to 32-tonne Daf 2500s, with Mercedes-Benz :307Ds for home delivery.
In the short time he has been in the job, Fincham has built up a business development team with three managers working in specific areas — Bucks' traditional shop-fitting business; the white and brown goods side; and the furniture home-delivery service.
The company also now undertakes the home delivery of Marks and Spencer garden furniture and equips stores in France, Belgium and Ireland.
"The quality of our marketing material, our livery and our vehicles, and the quality of our presentation to customers is absolutely vital," says Fincham. "This is what I will be concentrating our marketing efforts on."
1:1 Barbara Millar.