Leroy Merlin is showing its commitment to the South African economy and sees great opportunities to expand and grow the business here. The company has recently opened a second store in Little Falls, Roodepoort in Johannesburg, and has two more stores in the pipeline. They project that by 2020, they will have a total of four stores, whose investment amounts to R1 billion.
The new store strikes the same chord of excellence in the physical in-store experience, the digital experience and in-between: the ‘phygital.’ Leroy Merlin Little Falls has large showrooms that will inspire people in their quests to turn their homes into delightful spaces they can enjoy with their loved ones. Instructional illustrations throughout the store help people better understand what products to choose and how to install them. The digital experience is centred on making customers’ lives easier.
The 45,000sqm campus store is nestled within easy reach of neighbourhoods and businesses in the Roodepoort area. The sales floor is 9000sqm and offers the widest selection of construction, hardware, tools, kitchen, bathroom, home décor and garden products. 30% of the store’s entire range is sourced from the Leroy Merlin supply chain in France. 70% of stock is locally sourced: 30% from international brands that have South African operations and 40% produced and manufactured locally.
The online store reflects all the products in the store – as shelves are stocked, the online store is updated with quantities. When buying online, customers can opt for click-and-collect within two hours or express delivery to any part of the country. This gives people outside of Johannesburg access to a great range of products.
Cedric Sennepin, CEO of Leroy Merlin South Africa said, ’South Africans love their homes and are constantly doing improvements, from facelift renovations to complete structural changes. We uncovered the extent to which that passion influences their hardware purchase behaviour before setting up our first store in Greenstone in 2017. Ordinary South Africans welcomed us into their homes and through over 600 home visits countrywide, we learnt people’s needs and the existing gap in hardware retail. It was the most insightful research; we listened as people talked us through their aspirations for their homes and their hardware retail experiences.’
‘Opening this second store in Little Falls is testament that we are indeed meeting the needs of the South African homeowner and that is the core of the hardware retail business. It is also proof of our commitment to the South African economy, and that we see great opportunities to expand and grow the Leroy Merlin business here. We have two more stores in our pipeline, and we project that by 2020, we will have a total of four stores whose investment amounts to R1 billion,’ concluded Sennepin.
The store features a Drive-Thru Building Yard for customers who are looking for a quick in-and-out experience when purchasing construction material. This section spans 4700sqm and from it, customers can pull up with their vehicles, select and load products they need, and pay up at the counter as they exit. This saves time without compromising on service levels.
