There probably aren’t many shops in the North West where you are greeted with the door being opened by a yellow livery dressed doorman who greets and there certainly aren’t any that can boost 120,000 square feet of home furniture and interior design ideas all displayed in fabulous inspirational settings, over 30,000 different products, 500 free parking spaces and 300 friendly staff dedicated to providing the best customer service, all run as a family concern.
Welcome to Housing Units, sited where at the end of the nineteenth century Sebastian Pietro Innocenzo Adhemar Ziani de Ferranti decided to site his electrics factory. That’s long gone but in its place next to the M60 at Hollinwood is a commercial success for the 21st century on the cusp of celebrating its seventieth birthday and one of the largest suppliers of Home Furnishing in the UK.
About Manchester spoke with Nick Fox, it’s CEO, about its history, it’s secrets of success and its plans for the future.
“Customers and employees are at the forefront of every business decision we as the company make”, Fox tells us. He joined the business seventeen years ago, starting as a buyer, then Merchandise and Marketing Director before progressing to his current role. When he was a youngster he worked at the store across many departments getting a flavour of working within different retail roles.
His Father, Harry, now Chairman, joined forty three years ago becoming a shareholder and later completing a buy out of the business that was founded in 1947.
And it still is a family business, while Nick heads marketing and purchasing, his brother Stuart, the Managing Director does the operational role, “ we walk around the site every day and can see if there is a light bulb missing”
“The company knows that its staff are its strongest asset, and as a result, is always on the lookout for new talent to supplement the existing team, with hard work recognised through promotion and regular incentives.”
They scour the world for the best products, Nick heads up the buying team, he travels 100,000 business miles a year, is away from his family for ten weeks. The business needs products that are unique and as Nick says, that doesn’t happen just by travelling around the UK.
One example, he tells us occurred in the Philippines, thirty hours, three different flights and a military coup in progress, not a particularly good trade show but right at the end, he found an artisan rattan furniture maker whose product would be a really hit in the store.
“We try to be at the forefront of spotting new trends,” he adds, “and are never afraid to try new ideas and make mistakes.”
Housing Units has also proved strong because it is far more than just a shop.“The store prides itself on providing a full shopping experience as opposed to just a place to buy goods, and it is a popular destination for days out for people of all ages.”
And from all places them come, Nick says, over a million visitors a year, coach parties from outside the region,families, young couples, elderly, and children not just to shop but to dine at the Wickentree, fully licensed restaurant which offers everything from English breakfasts to Champagne Afternoon Tea, while for those looking for something more casual, The Hollinwood provides the perfect setting for sandwiches, cakes and coffee.
Housing Units opened its first store on Manchester Road in Hollinwood in 1947.This sold anything from building materials to washing machines, and began a retail revolution by staying open all day on Saturdays.
Soon enough Housing Units began selling more items, and in the 1960s the store opened its furniture department. Demand for furniture soon outgrew the Hollinwood store and the team opened another store on Hollins road, shortly followed by a third on Wickentree Lane.
As it continued to prosper and more staff were recruited to cope with increasing demand, it relocated to a larger, single site on Wickentree Lane. In the 2000s, huge investment was made in the store which included a new £4million 67,000 square foot distribution and administration centre in 2004 and a £1.5million store makeover in 2006, while in the second part of the decade, with the acquisition of children’s store Coo Chi Coo and the opening of the Kitchen Design Centre, Furniture Outlet and Housing Units’ own carpet and flooring centre, the Crescent was established.The Wickentree restaurant was opened in 2009.
Recent events in the world of retail have shown that even the most established stores and names can struggle in this digital age. While the number of consumers now choosing to browse and buy online from the comfort of their home is increasing year on year, Nick believes that Housing Units still have a strong loyal customer base who prefer the shopping experience at the store. It is difficult, he adds, “to replicate that personal greeting that you get when you walk through the doors”
A new director has just come on board to drive the online business but there are also plans to expand the shopping experience, a new restaurant, more floor space, retail is a theatre says Nick.
But back to basics as well, “we sell home furnishings and the average time that someone replaces a sofa is seven years,and we have to give customers a reason to visit”
Finally with this being a family business I ask whether there is a next generation coming through. Nick laughs, “they are all a bit young at the moment, there are no plans and there will be no pressure”
