Ultimate one-stop-shop, EFG Housewares, demonstrates care for the community and levels up customer experience
As the UK’s largest independent wholesale supplier of home and garden essentials, EFG Housewares provides an exceptional variety of goods to consumers around the world. From recent successes in the digital space to philanthropic partnerships with local charities, the company is set for success. Founded in 1976, EFG Housewares has gone from regional retailer to international one-stop-shop, as Mike Smith, Head of Commercial, begins: “Our business is based in North London. We’ve been trading for the last 50 years and are a very proud family business. Over the years, we’ve grown considerably, and today we have about 105 employees across the company. As a homeware business, we have around 500 different brands. Through those brands, we supply around 50,000 individual products to customers all around the world. We have partnerships everywhere, from Scotland to Ghana.
“Our reach is expansive. Some of our most active regions are West Africa and the Falkland Islands, which I think really demonstrates the company’s diverse geographical footprint. What makes us unique is our ability to keep everything under one roof. We’re self-sustaining, and that motivation has helped establish EFG Housewares across the globe.”
Strategic partnerships
Stocking everything from hardware to home decor, EFG Housewares boasts one of the most diverse product portfolios on the market today. “Homeware is a very diverse category, and therefore we have a variety of different product lines. Our portfolio covers everything from DIY and gardening to toiletries and toys, as well as plastics and small electrical items. As one of the largest suppliers and independent cash and carry wholesale distributor in the UK, we have forged some unbelievable relationships with blue chip suppliers. With such a wide range of products on offer, we’ve had to cultivate strong partnerships across a range of sectors – and we are proud to be chosen as their partner in the field. We rely heavily on our network of vendors and manufacturers, and they have been crucial to our success.
“Our blue-chip partners supply products to our catalog, which is then organized by product range or brand. Some of our most popular brands include Evergreen, which provides gardening supplies and chemicals to home gardeners; Baby Bio, a leading range of houseplant care products; and Elbow Grease, a cutting-edge home cleaning offering. We also stock some well-known names such as Bayliss and Harding, Febreeze, and Pyrex. Our storage and glassware ranges are something I am particularly proud of. We have great relationships with suppliers in this category. Alongside Pyrex, we work with Duralex, which is a fantastic French glassware brand, and I’m excited to say we’re their official distributor.
“In addition to partnership brands, we have developed several product lines in-house. Our Bright and Homely range, for example, brings something better to the homeware sector. Including everyday essentials such as clothes horses and pedal bins, our products maintain a high-quality while being very aggressively priced. The range started out, about nine or ten months ago, with around 100 products, and that’s now increased to around 400. The rapid expansion of our offering shows that there’s a demand for good-quality homeware at a lower price point. Many of our products are seeing higher demand due to social and economic changes, for instance hot water bottles are becoming more popular as heating costs increase.
Further diversification
“We’ve also added things like flasks, wastepaper bins, coat hangers and strimmer wire. Anything that can be bought in very large volumes works well with our overall model. The Bright and Homely brand now encompasses garden and outdoor living as well, which has brought in a whole host of new consumer markets,” Mike details.
Experts in all things essential, Mike and his team recently partnered up with several non-profit organizations to ensure no-one goes without. As Mike reveals: “Our decision to move into the public sector came about partly out of pure luck. I was working with one specific company head, and we got on exceptionally well. Naturally, we got to talking, and it became clear that there was an opportunity for EFG Housewares to help. Because the company can supply such a wide variety of products, it’s the natural partner for homelessness charities and social housing projects. Previously, we worked on a project that allows us to supply heated electric blankets and throws as well as dinner plates and cookware essentials, to those in need. Now our attention has shifted to things like fans, anything that will help people stay cool in the heat.
“It functions in much the same way as our student business. Student companies often provide ‘essentials boxes’ to young people studying and living alone for the first time. Universities work with us to supply and create these boxes. We fill them with bedding, cutlery, and usually a kettle or toaster. The same thing works well in non-profit sectors. We’re in the unique position to be able to really help these companies as a kind of one-stop-shop, and we pride ourselves on being a solution-based business. In many ways that strategy has become our secret weapon, because this work has been incredibly rewarding for everyone involved.”
Leveraging technology
As it continues to support local causes, EFG Housewares also remains a prominent international player. The company’s digital presence continues to draw in
customers from across the seven continents, as Mike discusses: “We realized a few years ago that there was a big opportunity for us to take our brand and our products to a much larger audience. Traditionally, we’re a regional wholesaler, but that changed when we entered the digital space in a more meaningful way. Now, we’re a multinational, multifaceted retailer across the world, and that’s because we make it very easy for customers to buy from us. We’re continually investing into our website, because it’s been such a game changer for the business. Our IT department has taken on the new website project, and they have a strong grasp of what works, and what’s driven us forward. They’re working hard on a new AI search element that should help customers find the products they need even more easily.
“Because our catalog is so expansive, it only takes a small spelling error for the customer to miss out on the result they are looking for. The AI element of the new site is already paying dividends, because people can find the products they need much more easily, and we have a much lower rate of abandonment. When customers come to our site, more often than not they are checking out.
“The app is designed with the same basic logic underlying it. We’re about to launch on the Google Play store, with Apple compatibility soon to follow. We hope to see this new avenue of accessibility level up our customer experience once again, and keep EFG Housewares ahead of the e-commerce curve,” he concludes.