Mattress Online has completed the first of its planned clicks and mortar expansion.
The etailer wants to open a network of 10 stores over the next five years, combining its customer experience and quick turnaround times with a traditional in-store experience.
The company has bought Skipton Bed & Sofa Centre, a family-owned business that has been operated by the Turner family since 1970.
‘Skipton Bed & Sofa Centre is a business that’s ready to go. We’ll be keeping the same name and staff and we warmly welcome the team. Our data tells us that North Yorkshire is an area where there’s a lot of opportunity and by investing in the high street, we’re supporting town centre infrastructure and customers can still benefit from our extensive product range and economies of scale,’ says Steve Adams, Mattress Online ceo.
The company will open a warehouse to support the store. ‘Products will be easily accessible and delivered quickly as we further invest in our warehousing capabilities. Instore, we’ll be blending a traditional setting with new ideas. Staff will have tablets so customers can see user-generated content such as reviews. This means they’ll get a real, rounded view combining the best of online shopping in a store setting’ says Adams.
Adams had hoped the first acquisition would be completed by the end of 2021.
‘It’s a personal passion of mine. I still believe in bricks and mortar retail, which I know sounds alien from someone who has been doing online retail for 18 years. But there are a lot of good businesses out there, and I have one store myself [in Rotherham] and I can see how well it works and how the two are joined together, the online and offline and we’ve got 50% to 60% of the online offer in-store. It works really well and is convenient for the consumer,’ he previously told Interiors Monthly.
‘It’s a really safe way for us to expand. We know what we do, we know the product and we have the buying power and the logistics to feed that into a next day delivery service. That’s something the high street can’t do and if we can put that power back into the high street local ecommerce and local commerce is going to have a resurgence. Our target areas are where we don’t have much online penetration. It’s a personal belief that there is a lot of money on the table in physical retail if it’s done right.’
Pictured are Callum Hartley and Michael Hindle, Skipton Bed & Sofa Centre employees who have joined Mattress Online.