Quantore Interview in Office Times On Their Return To BPGI
Quantore talk in Office Times about their focus, product fit and return to BPGI:
Quantore sees new opportunities in 2017
Quantore re-joined BPGI on January I st, following its decision to leave Interaction announced last Spring. Managing Director Arnold Theuws told The Office Times the reasons behind this move and explains the progress the Dutch buying group is making with its Quantore branded retail concept and the pursuit of larger contracts in the B2B market.
Why did you decide to return to BPGI?
One of the main reasons we left BPGI and joined Interaction was to develop our private label business. Quantore has traditionally given more focus to A-brands, so Q-Connect was an opportunity to add to our ‘good, better, best’ strategy with Q-Connect products. The ‘Q’ in Quantore also made bringing in Q-Connect very appealing. However, we found that the Interaction model wasn’t a good fit for Quantore and our position in the Dutch market due to reasons such as the difference in the quality/price proposition needed in the UK market compared to that of independent dealers in Holland. Also, BPGI is now more focused on Europe following the transfer of the organisation from the USA and has made progress in areas important to Quantore. In particular, BPGI is creating a model to meet the needs of stock-keeping members such as ourselves with thos of the non stock-keeping members. This is a journey that has been started and we are positive that we can make progress in this regard.
Managing Director, Arnold Theuws
How important is being part of a group to Quantore?
We believe that it is very important to co-operate and that there are always benefits of being part of a larger grouping. It is just a question of ensuring that the direction you are heading fits in with the other members.
A couple of years ago Quantore started a re-branding programme. How has this progressed?
We have made very good progress and approximately 100 shops now have external Quantore branding and a common interior layout backed by campaigns and promotions. This concept includes special sales material and designated areas to improve customer experience. For example, we present paper in a new way so that customers can pick up and feel the different grammage and choose the one that fits their requirements from a range of colours. A new printing area has also led to record sales of HP printers.
Therefore, we are seeing the advantages of having a more centralised model. With the addition of members signing up for this concept, we are getting the required numbers to be able to plan a television campaign in 2017.
“Quantore’s record 98.3% delivery rate within 24 hours makes us a very reliable partner, which becomes even more important in such an uncertain market.”
How many more members do you think will sign up?
Over the coming months we aim on expanding from 100 to around 150.The success we have had so far should bring in more members that are involved in retail.
How are you approaching the B2B market, particularly larger contracts?
We have worked together with our members to create a new model for tenders with the goal of competing for larger contracts.We looked into this a few years ago, but pricing in this market meant that it was not in our interests to pursue it. It now appears that the Big Boxes have started to reassess how they approach tenders and are concentrating more on margins.
We believe there is room for Quantore to compete at this Ievel.
With changes taking place at Staples and Office Depot, there is a lot of uncertainty in the market and this always creates new opportunities.
Was 2016 a good year for Quantore?
We achieved a I% increase in turnover, which in the context of a market that is declining by 5-10%, can be considered a very good year. This shows that we are gaining market share from our competitors. We have made progress in delivery times and we are proud to say that our rate of delivery within 24 hours is 98.3%. This is a record for Quantore and makes us a very reliable partner. which becomes even more important in such an uncertain market.
Which categories performed best? Our paper sales have proved to be very strong in 2016 at 7-10%. bucking the declines taking place elsewhere in the
market. This has helped offset a fall in ink and toner sales.
Have you developed any new categories? Categories such as personal safety material have grown from only a few SKUs to a large assortment over the last few years. In parallel to this. there has been a renaissance in high-end writing instruments. where our engraving service is helping drive sales. Services such as engraving and personalised stamps are examples of how we can combine online orders and our nationwide network of retail members in order to generate new business.
Are you offering any new or improved services?
We introduced a wrapping service for presents, a 3 hours delivery services on a limited assortment and a MPS service for HP printers. so we have been busy.
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Quantore’s website is: www.quantore.com/