Poking the Bear.. (Think about it and you'll get it if you're clever)

You may all be surprised (not!) to hear that yet again, I’ve had an awesome day! I met with the interior designers for the coffee shop and although a complex meeting, the end result was that we’re getting closer to the look we want. It’s a balance I find hard to strike, between warmth, inviting space, ‘loungy’ but yet slightly scandinavian and diner-like!  How do you do all of this and have space to hang up bling and baskets with coffee beans in them creating an aroma that makes you wish you had longer before needing to leave this caffeine fueled mecca that is Big Maggys and walk back to the humdrum of the office… sorry got carried away again.  It’s a coffeeshop Tone… chill.

Did I mention the free massages on the day the shop opens?

Anyway, what I really wanted to whine I mean talk about or rather, share with you what’s on my mind… is the conundrum that is ‘exclusivity’ in retail.
Now I’m not stupid (totally), I understand that distributors want to protect their resellers market share and also protect their territory and more importantly protect their revenue and profit, by limiting the number of resellers of their product within any geographical area.

But here’s my question: What exactly are they ‘protecting’ them from? Surely, if you feel the need to ‘protect’ resellers from each other, you’re defeating the object which is to let people show how good they are and that they can compete not based on the fact that they are the only damn place that sells the product the client wants, but on the basis that their customer service and creativity is superior to the next reseller. I mean if you wanted an Eddy Merckx or a De Rosa for example, you should be able to stroll into any number of bike shops in the area and pick the one that woed you the most – not the one who got the sale because they are the only one with sale rights! It’s archaec and I hope we don’t work with any distributors who still share this 19th century approach.

I’m going to make a statement now and feel free to pull me up on it months and years later.  I’m not interested in selling products exclusively. Let the doors be flung wide open and let our competitors sell the same products we will – hell, I’ll even sell them to them. With these walls broken down and anyone allowed to sell anything, surely the only person who will benefit is the customer – I may have lost the plot already, but pretty sure this is the whole point of manufacturing a product i.e. to ensure it gets into the hands of your customers at the right price and thus sales go up and everyone wins.

There are far too many people hiding behind exclusivity I find – bring it on! Sleeves rolled up, ready to draw swords.

The doors are open – Big Maggy’s is open for business.  Roll up (not literally as the doors aren’t really open!) and buy your stuff!

S’all for now.

‘Moffs’ – as I’ve been so aptly rebranded by Marty and Ian. It’s kind of growing on me.

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• December 3, 2009
• BY moffaman
• IN