The National Plastics’ experience
Posted on 16/09/2015
National Plastics has seen astonishing growth in the past five years, adding £9 million to its turnover by extending its product range, opening new sites and making acquisitions. We talked to the managers at six of the most recently opened National Plastics stores to find out what it’s like to be part of the UK’s largest independent trade counter network.
The Worthing, Chichester and Horsham stores were acquired from the small regional chain of Churchley Builders Plastics. It is National Plastics’ policy to keep staff in place following an acquisition to maintain continuity and customer relationships, so the managers of the three stores have continued in their roles and all report similar experiences of being part of a national chain.
Mike Long, manager at the Worthing store, says: “It’s great to have the structure of a bigger chain and our customers really appreciate the wider range of stock, the better availability and the more competitive pricing. We’ve enjoyed a greater level of investment than previously too. The company is running a £6k local advertising campaign this month, which will really help raise our profile.”
Paul Legrange, manager at the Horsham branch, agrees, saying: “National Plastics’ buying power has made a big difference. Our customers comment that we’re much cheaper now and they appreciate us carrying a wider range of stock.”
Rodney Stinchcombe, manager at the Chichester store agrees with Mike and Paul, adding: “National Plastics is an ambitious chain and it shows in their approach.”
It’s a similar story for Sharon Thomas, manager of the Wednesbury National Plastics, which used to be PAL Supercentre. “We went from being a single store to being part of much bigger chain,” she says. “We’ve got much better availability as a result.”
Over at the Worcester store, which used to be a Silplas store, manager Jon Wells echoes the advantages of being part of a bigger network. “The better availability than before is a real advantage. We’ve also seen investment made – we’ve had new racking installed which has made the place look a lot smarter.”
While Mike, Paul, Rodney, Sharon and Paul all appreciate seeing their stores become part of a bigger chain, for Tony Hart, store manager of the new Christchurch store, it’s the relative smallness of the chain that appeals. He came to National Plastics from a much larger company and he says he really notices the difference. “You’re a name here, not a number, which means that everyone is accountable. It’s almost a family feeling and it makes it a really good place to work.”
National Plastics intends to grow its network of stores to 50 by the end of 2017. From talking to store managers across the country it is clear that becoming part of the network is a positive move. It is also clear that the wide stock range and excellent availability is valued by staff as much as it is by customers.
