Suppliers...and hello!

[WRBathrooms]

Hello everyone, first time poster here...

I've very recently (2 weeks ago) started my own bathroom business and will only be targeting customers who want full bathrooms supplied and fitted, with everything dealt with. Websites up and I have my subbies in place (long time known, good and reliable) and 2 bathroom suppliers with good trade discounts. Everything is in place except a tile supplier. Could anyone recommend a good supplier to the trade? My subby tiler uses Al Murad, but isn't really interested in supplying to customers, so he usually just sends them down to our local branch. Ideally I'd like a couple of suppliers with a brochure I can show or give to customers at the quoting stage. Who do you guys use? Any recommendations for a trade supplier nationwide or local to West Yorkshire?

All advice very much appreciated, so cheers in advance...

 

[Dan]

Al Murad apparently have some fairly competitive prices on adhesives. Spoke to a tile supplier a few weeks ago that mentioned it.

Obviously keep in mind if you're supplying tiles and bathroom suites you're going to hit the VAT threshold quite quickly, if you're not VAT registered already.

A couple of threads that might help you out:

• Most Used Tile & Adhesive Supplier in 2012
• Most used tile supplier

 

[Andy Allen]

I find tile brochures a waste of time as the colours can change so much from a picture to the real thing and it's good to feel the texture of a tile.
You would be better off getting in with a local supplier or two and sending your customers in to choose tiles then you can sort it out from there.

 

[Dan]

What tilers used to do in my store was send the customers in with their measurements, we'd give them a quote on a couple of ranges they liked, let them take some samples away, the quote would be retail price.

Then the tiler would come in, order the ones they wanted at their trade price, and the customer would pay the retail price, or near to (tiler sometimes give a bit of a discount). So the tiler made some money on the tiles but the customer saved a bit too.

 

[Andy Allen]

Spot on Dan..

 

[Dan]

You hit the VAT threshold quick doing that though if you do plenty of jobs.

 

[AliGage]

99% of customers will want to source and pick their own.

 

[WRBathrooms]

99% of customers will want to source and pick their own.

I'm specifically targeting customers who don't want to supply their own, particularly affluent, time poor customers. I'm not interested in customers who want to get overly involved (obviously I don't mind them checking in, it's their bathroom) and we never fit a customer supplied bathroom. The profit to hassle ratio just isn't something that we want to take on. We do everything, right down to ordering the skip and professional clean up and charge a premium to do it, if the customer wants their own sparky or joiner, then we don't do the job.

Response so far has been great and I've done a lot of market research beforehand...the customers are there and plentiful.

You hit the VAT threshold quick doing that though if you do plenty of jobs.

I already have two other businesses so VAT is already an issue, the types of customers I'm aiming for don't prioritise price when buying, so the added VAT won't be a problem.

The existing threads were very helpful and informative, thank you...I'll be visiting a few this week. Thanks very much for all comments, it's much appreciated.

 

[AliGage]

Are you looking to offer quite a vast range then? Both tiles and sanitaryware?

 

[Dan]

You want to go to a distributor perhaps then. Skip the suppliers out.

Get with the likes of Original style and whatnot.

 

[John Benton]

What tilers used to do in my store was send the customers in with their measurements, we'd give them a quote on a couple of ranges they liked, let them take some samples away, the quote would be retail price.

Then the tiler would come in, order the ones they wanted at their trade price, and the customer would pay the retail price, or near to (tiler sometimes give a bit of a discount). So the tiler made some money on the tiles but the customer saved a bit too.

Thats exactly what I do Dan, If I get near the VAT threshold I wouldn't supply from that point onwards just let the customer take a %age of my discount

 

[Dan]

Thats exactly what I do Dan, If I get near the VAT threshold I wouldn't supply from that point onwards just let the customer take a %age of my discount

The shops got fussy in the end about giving a tilers discount if he wasn't there. So got a bit awkward.

Area managers rules V trying to keep your regulars happy.

Wasn't what I got paid for. I got out out there when I got my chance.

 

[John Benton]

I'm only talking maybe 15% and the shop was likely to give 10% anyway Dan. So in reality they're actually making more than supplying to me
I send them a lot of customers and 9/10 they purchase from them so they're happy to do it.

 

[Dan]

Yeah that's the way it should be.

@Lee@TileTown will do it like that. Nice customer relationship.

 

[John Benton]

And by the same token they recommend me to customers when asked if they can recommend a tiler, so it works both ways, plus I get a nice bottle of Italian wine at Xmas off them