Screwfix are opening a new branch in Tooting. What's odd is that it's on the High Street. So presumably higher rent etc than in the usual industrial estate. I've not yet seem the site, but wonder about parking? There's no free on street parking for miles. And 'meter' parking is extra expensive, being close to a major hospital.
Makes little difference to me anyway. The much cheaper Toolstation (in a Wicks) is closer and plenty free parking.
I was told at one branch that they will be moving many of the branches in to B&Q.
An experiment to see if there's demand in pure retail areas? I happened to be looking at the SF branch list yesterday and there's hundreds (456 says Google) - perhaps they're running out of out-of-towns to do.
There's a TS in Bristol on the site of an old petrol station fairly close to the centre. Tho that gets a little parking of its own of course. And it's quite handy if one's working in local offices.
On the upside, my local B&Q is more convenient for buses, Morrison's and Wickes.
On the downside, my local Screwfix is more convenient for Gregg's and Yesssssssssssssss electrical.
If by moving they could actually speed up the service at the counter they could call the new stores Queuefix.
Owain
Funny you would mention this. I read a bit of twaddle from Transport for london recently who were asking retailers to take space originally occupied by ticket offices in their tube stations, one of the companies on the list was this very oen.
Seems an odd place for that kind of store, but then again, why not? Brian
Because it makes a mockery of them presenting a catalogue and then turning out that they only stock 10% of the lines in a given store. SF are already bad for that in the standard trading-estate units, and squeezing them into a footprint where they can only sell things less than a foot long and be restocked from a transit van is only going to make it worse.
It wouldn't be so bad if you could put the website into a mode where it only showed you lines in stock in your store, then it doesn't matter if they only stock three lines locally. If all you want is a screwdriver it doesn't matter if they claim 700 lines online, there must be *something* in stock.
Theo
Mind me asking how you find Yesss price wise? Do you have an account or do you just call in but are on first name terms with the staff?
Yes. Originally, SF was good because you could buy a box of 100 screws for less than B&Q charged for 10. Etc. But if they don't have the room to stock everything, why bother with a retail site at all? Unless B&Q think they can make it pay in some way while failing with so many traditional B&Q stores.
I used to have a traditional ironmonger on the high street - and very good he was too. But eventually started losing money due to competition from the sheds. So do wonder what has changed today.
I've never used them. Just checked and their public web price for a reel of 2.5mm is only about £3 less than I paid at Screwfix yesterday.
I was thinking that DIYers like me are more likely to appreciate proximity to Morrisons and tradies will want a Greggs and a Yesssssssss.
Owain
Apparently it is to do with the cost of leasing the units compared to B&Q and SC being the same company. They are also trying to get more people to order online for pick up rather than flick through their book at branches, that was another reason they mentioned, the cost of the catalogue, I cant remember the price but it was high per catalogue.
If they want people to order online then pick up at a local branch, they're still going to need easy parking for most.
I ordered an MK 13A single switched socket mit USB and they said they didn't have it in stock but did have a cheaper one. ;-)
I bought it but I actually *wanted* the more expensive one. ;-(
Cheers, T i m
My experience of SF v TS, which are on the same trading estate, same size unit, across the road from each other, is that SF claim to have more lines but frequently when I want to buy they aren't in stock, while TS have a limited number of lines but almost always they have one or two stock. YMMV of course.
I don't know the distribution, but there seems to be a gap in the market for high street hardware. Unless you have an independent, there's either Wilko (whose distribution around the country is a bit variable and I notice them Woolworths-ising) or Poundland (where you'd often love the item to cost more than a pound if it means getting some quality).
A 'Screwfix Metro' format might work, but it would have to be set up so people didn't go in expecting the full range. But don't know what the demand would be ('Generation Rent' and all that). There might also be some merit in a click-and-collect presence, even if they don't stock much in store. Maybe even a same-day c&c, from a bigger store down the road.
Theo
TS, of course, was started by the original owners of SF. SF was sold to B&Q, and the rot set in. TS to Travis Perkin. Might be too soon to know if the rot will set in there too.
I've never used them. Just checked and their public web price for a reel of
2.5mm is only about £3 less than I paid at Screwfix yesterday.I was thinking that DIYers like me are more likely to appreciate proximity to Morrisons and tradies will want a Greggs and a Yesssssssss.
It might surprise you what it would have cost you in Yesss.
Most likely there is just a very fundamental problem with that entire market and no one can make a go of it now.
Same thing happened with the operations selling electronic components in retail stores.
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