Successful launch of Toolparks in Austria

Lienz-Debant (East Tyrol), Hartberg (Styria) and Ybbs (Lower Austria) are the towns where the first Toolparks were opened. During the first months leading up to autumn 2003 these stores achieved average sales growth of 20 per cent compared with the same period in the previous year. Such success, during a year that still continues to be a difficult one in terms of the economy, is justification enough for the idea underpinning the new specialist retail line.
A specialist Toolpark store in Styria.
The aim of the new concept is to offer member firms that have outlets with a high level of customer traffic the possibility to establish themselves afresh in their long-standing field of business and gain additional market share by doing so. Currently around 35 per cent of the overall Toolpark sales stem from hand and power tools, and about 17 per cent from technical products for the garden. This means that more than half of all sales are generated in these categories. The Toolparks also benefit from the procurement expertise of the “3-E” group.
The Toolparks differ mainly from DIY superstores and traditional specialist dealers in that they cover all the different quality grades in their product offer. The proportion of products in the “professional” grade amounts to as much as 15 per cent, in addition to the normal quality grades. This segment cannot be obtained in DIY stores, because the producers of such articles deliver only to specialist dealers with the relevant technical expertise. However, reasonably priced “entry-level” products are also to be found in the Toolparks, which offer a considerably greater choice at this level than is usual for traditional specialist dealers. The result of all this is that customers can select their purchases from the total spread of three quality grades, from the entry-level product up to professional lines. As expected, the new specialist retail format offers a variety of customer services, including equipment assembly, service workshops, plant hire, product delivery and paint tinting stations, in addition to their provision of expert advice.
“3-E” boss Dr Günther Pacher is pleased with Toolpark’s success.
This very combination of a full product range with great professional expertise and high-quality advice has enabled the Toolpark outlets to cause a turnaround in the hardware retailing trend, which in recent years has constantly suffered considerable setbacks. Not even the presence of DIY superstores in the immediate vicinity is…