They may be big, they may boast checkouts stretching as far as the eye can see and have multi-million pound marketing budgets, but in many areas the DIY sheds still can’t offer the trade customer the same timber service as a merchant.

However much the multiples’ advertising focuses on their competitiveness and although their prices include VAT, when it comes to trade quantities of timber and wood products, the merchant can usually give a better deal.

And while not many merchants will offer the sheds’ seven-day-a-week opening, their delivery service is generally better suited to the professional customer too, as are their credit terms.

But the sheds have clearly set their sights on developing their timber business in recent years and, while they’re still predominantly focused on the consumer retail market, their approach in terms of storage and display may provide the merchant with a few useful pointers.

The multiples continue to offer a much more restricted range of timber and sheet materials but in the past 10 years it has expanded considerably, particularly in the area of machined and moulded items.

Their range has also increased in terms of depth of stock. Not so long ago sheds carried timber up to 2.4-3.3m and that was about it. Now many have increased this up to 6m, closing the gap on product availability with the merchant.

For timber and wood products, the merchants use a lot of ‘A’ frame storage/racking systems. The trade-off here is that more manual handling is required than is generally the case with storage systems in merchants, but product visibility is very good.

Reflecting the rapid development of their mouldings business, the multiple outlets also use some horizontal storage, mainly cantilever racking and pigeonholes.

In the average shed, order picking is mainly undertaken by the customer, with every item carrying a price bar-code. This requires a much higher level of security at the store exits to prevent people walking out with their timber tucked under their arm. But the costs involved in customer picking are much lower.

Parallel products

When it comes to storage and display, the sheds have particular skills in drawing the buyer’s attention to so-called ‘parallel product’ and ‘product adjacencies’. Complementary products are shown together; for instance nails and hammers, with wood stains. This is not only a convenience for the customer, it could also prompt an impulse purchase. To maximise sales, the same product will also be displayed in different areas, with decking, for instance, in the timber display, but also shown adjacent to stone paving.

In health and safety, the sheds obviously take a different approach in many areas because of their much broader customer profile, but they may have a few ideas for the merchant. For example, most multiple outlets have fixed bars on display systems at high level to prevent product falling across an aisle. Merchants, if they have anything at all, use a chain fixed at about head height.

The sheds generally show garden and outdoor products in an exterior display area, with extensive use of galvanised racking and storage systems. The risk here is a higher incidence of theft, with customers simply throwing goods over the perimeter fence. But, of course, the display costs less.

Customer comfort

Overall, the sheds’ storage and display approach is designed for greater customer comfort. The downside is increased product handling and the greater risk of theft, requiring more investment in security systems. Of course, the merchants’ average trade customer is not dropping in to browse and does not want to spend hours mooching round the shelves. But consumer and trade buyer alike appreciate a comfortable, user-friendly environment.

And it’s probably worth bearing in mind that the multiples are increasingly adapting their consumer-led approach to suit the trade customer. A few sheds now provide special trade checkouts so that the bulk product buyer can by-pass the queues of frazzled parents and screaming children. Some even have mechanical handling to load up the trade customer’s vehicle.