Derek Buckfield is the man in charge of Booker's cash and carry in Wimbledon. Buckfield has been running the depot for eight years. He says this experience, and the fact the depot has a settled management team, means they have a pretty good idea what their customers want.
That's important given that the depot does have competition in the area.
"There are not many customers that we don't know. And there are quite a few we have a bit of banter with," he explains.
The branch has 4,500 active customers, of which 80% are retailers, a good number of them running CTNs and off-licences. And what they do want from their depot? Simple, says Buckfield. Good availability and prices.
The branch has a sales area of 65,000 sq ft, is open seven days a week and employs 65 people on a full and part-time basis. As well as Buckfield with his 26 years in the cash and carry business, the depot's management team includes deputy Nigel Foster and assistant managers Anne Finn and Jason Court.
Their combined experience was tested to the full when the branch suffered a major fire in October 1999. The team had to open a temporary depot in Merton while theirs was revamped.
But when it reopened in April 2000, Buckfield said the depot was transformed into a modern, bright and spacious outlet that his customers loved from day one.
"I'm really proud of it," he adds. "It's a nice branch both to shop and in which to work." It's so good that during the era in which Stuart Rose was in charge of Booker, the Wimbledon branch often played host to visits from City analysts and investors.
"I think they used to like my East London sense of humour," says Buckfield. Or was it the smoked salmon sandwiches he used to serve them?
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That's important given that the depot does have competition in the area.
"There are not many customers that we don't know. And there are quite a few we have a bit of banter with," he explains.
The branch has 4,500 active customers, of which 80% are retailers, a good number of them running CTNs and off-licences. And what they do want from their depot? Simple, says Buckfield. Good availability and prices.
The branch has a sales area of 65,000 sq ft, is open seven days a week and employs 65 people on a full and part-time basis. As well as Buckfield with his 26 years in the cash and carry business, the depot's management team includes deputy Nigel Foster and assistant managers Anne Finn and Jason Court.
Their combined experience was tested to the full when the branch suffered a major fire in October 1999. The team had to open a temporary depot in Merton while theirs was revamped.
But when it reopened in April 2000, Buckfield said the depot was transformed into a modern, bright and spacious outlet that his customers loved from day one.
"I'm really proud of it," he adds. "It's a nice branch both to shop and in which to work." It's so good that during the era in which Stuart Rose was in charge of Booker, the Wimbledon branch often played host to visits from City analysts and investors.
"I think they used to like my East London sense of humour," says Buckfield. Or was it the smoked salmon sandwiches he used to serve them?
{{INDEPENDENTS }}
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