Carpetright is taking steps to shake up its beds proposition starting with an ‘under the radar’ trial of a new concept at eight stores.
The floor coverings specialist said that, as well as overhauling its bed ranges, it is testing a new Sleepright shop-in-shop format.
Speaking to Retail Week after a half-year update, chief executive Wilf Walsh said he hoped the move would plump sales in this category.
“What I don’t like is people coming into a Carpetright and just finding beds, so we’re testing a new Sleepright store-in-store concept to see if we can get any more traction on beds that way,” he said.
The floorings boss said the concept stores have a separate Sleepright fascia and a dedicated shop-in-shop, “really detailing the quality of the beds on offer”.
He added that, if successful, the initiative could be expanded: “We’ve got eight test stores running at the moment and, subject to their success, we’ll roll out the Sleepright concept as we go.”
Walsh acknowledged that beds is not a new venture for the flooring coverings specialist – dubbing the move as “a bit of a tail-wags-dogs strategy” – but said he was confident that the Sleepright branding and improved ranges would help to differentiate Carpetright from its competitors.
“We’re not bed specialists so we focus on brands and offering great value in those brands. We’ve got a very clear proposition, we just want to execute it better.”
Walsh added that, over time, he envisioned the number of Carpetright stores containing beds reducing as the retailer’s hard flooring offer matured.
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