How is Bricocenter doing?

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Managing director of Bricocenter, Pietro Migliori, says that “…after going through a difficult time, during which Bricocenter risked being forced out of the market, the brand now seems to have found its ideal place in the DIY sector. After being relaunched in the 1980s, and in the wake of its expansion and omni-channel diversification strategy of recent years, today we have moved on to the creation of a multi-format physical and digital platform that embraces technology to generate interactions”.

In the past few years, this historic name in the Italian DIY market has focused very much on the idea of proximity, developing, in particular, its customer relations, starting with its slogan “Vicini di Fare” (doing close to you), which encapsulates the brand’s mission.

As a result, Bricocenter has become “the brand around the corner”, whose aim, “in adjusting its position on the market, has been to make DIY readily accessible and close to everyone’s needs, thanks to a range developed in collaboration with local people, but also to promote the formation of relationships and social ties and offer useful and more specific services”.

The development of mobile apps is part of this objective: the brand is currently developing special apps for staff working in Bricocenter stores, as well as apps for customers. Both are designed to increase satisfaction and generate interactive exchanges about services and products. This continuous feedback, which takes the form of digital interactions, ratings, after-service questionnaires, and use of the ‘contact us’ channel, is intended to help achieve all-round customer satisfaction.

To further improve the level of customer support, “Bricocenter has also taken steps to re-shape its internal organisation: the idea is that everyone should become their own boss. Through this redefinition of roles and processes, each employee becomes more responsible for his own actions; furthermore, in this way, the person making the decision is the one closest to the customer, who is clearly the best equipped to do so”.

In other words, this is a community of interconnected employees who, not having “bosses”, each have their own roles and responsibilities; they are required to interact with customers in order to help them enjoy a unique experience, through a platform of services and products that include material delivery and installation, a larger and more varied catalogue, and opportunities for interaction through feedback, ratings and mobile apps.

Looking to the future, particularly interesting developments on the horizon, in terms of mobile app development and the linking up of people (employees with other employees and with customers), are digital wallet purchasing, to allow purchases to be paid for directly using a smartphone, and the promotion of direct staff-customer interactions through a Pos system with digital signature capacity, to allow customers to pay for the products they choose in the aisles, without having to go and queue up at the checkout.

Bricocenter’s objectives for the next few years are all geared at making its range, relations and services unique, and at increasing both the proportion of its products assigned 4-star ratings and its MDH market share, and naturally at improving the overall level of satisfaction both of customers and staff, as reflected in positive feedback from an “environment” rendered ideal for everyone.

How about some facts and figures? The target is to generate 8% of turnover through online sales, while another step forward, in terms of increasing the range, came on 22 November, with the opening of the Viareggio store. In this regard, it is worth noting the brand’s gradual convergence with Leroy Merlin (in terms of products, logistics, and so on), even though this is actually something that suppliers have been aware of for some time.

Does this mean a single brand name? As yet, there is no news and nothing seems to have been decided. In Spain, on the other hand, Aki/Leroy stores have been opening at quite a rate.