Distributor
Brico Dépôt: delivering performance and availability
Brico Dépôt is France's third-largest DIY superstore chain. The majority of its customers are experienced DIYers who have no hesitation in undertaking projects of all sizes. The retailer offers them a comprehensive range of materials, including insulation materials that provide an excellent return on their investment. The ACERMI brand is promoted in its stores.
"For us, it's all about meeting the essential needs of our customers," explains David Varnerot, Insulation Product Manager at Brico Dépôt. "By which I mean that they can be sure of finding the most popular materials in the most common thicknesses when they visit our stores. Running out of stock is simply not an option. But that doesn't prevent us from testing innovative new products."
Brico Depôt
Kingfisher Group
- Stores
-
France : 118
most recent opening: Nice
Spain : 28
Portugal : 72
Romania : 15
- Checkout transactions every year
- 47 millions
- Employees
- 7500
However, this chain doesn't limit itself simply to providing materials; its role as an adviser is equally essential. "The same applies to insulation products as to all other materials: quality marks are a fundamental requirement, and we display them on all our sales resources. So ACERMI certification is virtually essential. Not only does it give customers the assurance that their products deliver the performance claimed because they have been measured in testing, but it also guarantees their performance over time. The level of credibility provided by bodies as respected as the CSTB and LNE adds even more value, and the resulting traceability is an invaluable safeguard. There may be no obligation to have products certified before they can be launched into the insulation materials market, but all our range reviews include labeling verification. The same process applies to all our products, including wood, for example."
This criterion is also an important part of new material testing. So Brico Dépôt measures interest amongst its customers for polyester wadding, cotton wool and cellulose wadding panels. Products have to fulfill two conditions in order to join the range: customer interest and the assurance of sufficient production levels.
A commitment to energy performance upgrades
Keen to offer its customers the benefit of tax and financial incentives for energy performance upgrades (CITE, EcoPTZ, EC eco-grants, etc.), Brico Dépôt runs two parallel sets of initiatives.
The first and more general initiative consists of providing a continual flow of information to its customers via sales resources delivered by its regional sales teams, all of whom are construction specialists.
The second is more targeted, and is built around an agreement signed on December 1, 2015 with the vocational training organization AFPA. It involves offering tradesmen training courses leading to the RGE (Reconnu Garant de l’Environnement) eco-accreditation qualification essential to ensuring that their customers qualify for the incentives available. Delivered in-store, this training is extended to include the option of bringing together professionals with customers interested in carrying out energy upgrades that qualify for these incentives.
