In February 2020, STARK opened its doors to a whole new and sustainable DIY store in Hørsholm (Denmark), which will make it easier for customers to build sustainably. The store has got a flying start despite Corona and general restrictions in the industry. With electronic price tags, the staff also saves large amounts of time, which instead will be spent on giving customers the necessary advice.
Sustainability is increasingly in demand in more and more places. This also applies to the construction industry, where Denmark's first sustainable DIY store has opened with a good location in Kokkedal Industripark in Hørsholm, close to the main road and motorway. It is the STARK chain that has opened the 5,500 square meters large new DIY store built according to the DGNB standard concerning environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
STARK's focus on sustainability is based on the craftsmen's wishes, as many today see sustainable construction as an advantage. According to Britta K. Stenholt, CEO of STARK Denmark, the idea is that it should give both craftsmen and STARK an advantage at a time when the interest in sustainable construction is increasing. “Our store in Hørsholm is the epitome of our desire to make it easier for craftsmen to build sustainably. We see this as one of our most important tasks,” she says.
Significant streamlining of the DIY store
At STARK, the DIY store was moved from Nivå to the new surroundings in Hørsholm. Since the move, the business has a great start with massive customer flow and good growth despite Corona and general restrictions in the industry. The DIY store also offers a significant streamlining, both in terms of product range and logistics.
The new location close to access roads and the motorway exit will help streamline the everyday lives of professional customers further, where many craftsmen and contractors pass by. In relation to the product range, the new and larger business allows a significantly larger basic range, which ultimately benefits the customers.
It must be easy to find the goods
The interior of the new store is environmentally friendly, as all furniture is made of sustainable materials and low-energy light sources are being used. But for STARK, it is about more than just sustainability. For customers, it is important to find the right product in the right place. That is why you can find a guaranteed range of the 1000 most picked up items in any STARK store. At the same time, STARK also has a particularly strong focus on having the right items on the shelves.
“We have a huge product range in all price ranges. Also, it has become particularly easy to find sustainable products that more and more customers demand today. All products have now also got electronic shelf labels that not only show the price but also mark the sustainable products so that they are easy to find,” says Jonathan Bisgaard, Director at STARK Hørsholm and continues: “If the customer demands a specific item, we are happy to order it at and we also do our utmost to be able to have the requested item in stock the very next day.”
Electronic price tags are a natural element
STARK has a clear strategy that the staff must always be ready for the customers and have the necessary time to provide professional advice. According to Jonathan Bisgaard, customer service is an important focus area because that is exactly where you can make a difference to your customers.
Therefore, STARK initiated a collaboration with the IT company Delfi Technologies on electronic price tags for the business, which provides great time savings for the staff. “It was a natural element to install electronic price tags in the new business – simply because we can use the massive time savings to provide even better advice. We have also had more time to concentrate on our range, product orders, and refills,” he says. In connection with promotion changes, it could previously take up to 2-3 days to get the business ready with new prices. The same was the case when a promotion ended, and prices had to change again.
Many benefits of electronic signage
STARK also experiences another advantage of electronic signage in the business. There are several ongoing corrections of price and item information that have nothing to do with the regular promotion changes. It is, among other things, on goods that are particularly dependent on supply and demand. In recent Corona times, for example items such as masks, disposable gloves, and rubbing alcohol, where there have been, particularly many continuous changes.
“Normally, it might take an employee one day every week to handle the ongoing price and product corrections, but we are completely apart now with the electronic price signs,” explains Johan Ankerstjerne, Store Manager in the new STARK timber cargo in Hørsholm.
Although most STARK's customers are professional craftsmen and contractors, STARK also sells to private customers. That is why STARK runs promotions for both professionals and one for private consumers. On the electronic price signs, you can also see the price of the item excl. VAT and incl. VAT. Multi-piece prices are shown on the signs as well.
“The biggest advantage is definitely the time savings, and then we also know that the prices are always correct now – there are no longer signs that can risk having a different price on the shelf compared to at checkout,” Johan Ankerstjerne star concludes.
About Stark
STARK is a chain of local timber (DIY) stores for both professionals and individuals. The chain saw the light of day in 1896 and has had several name changes since that. The name STARK came in 1987 when the Danish timber stores combined into an independent division under DDT Detail. Later, the group was called DT Group and in 2017, it changed its name to STARK Group. Today, STARK employs over 2,700 employees and is nationwide in Denmark and Greenland.
