John Nicholls has been busy recently, with the merchant opening its first supersite in Bicester, while also expanding and refurbishing its Witney branch.
Supersite Opening
The new site on Telford Road in Bicester is the largest single site within the Nicholls Group, covering 40,000 sq ft which includes a large building and plumbing Merchant, Kitchen & Bathroom Solutions Showroom, warehousing, office space and a large yard area.
The new site incorporates all the merchant’s core businesses, such as building & timber, plumbing & heating, kitchens & bathrooms and some exciting new business ventures including a range of bedroom, flooring and door displays and direct-to-site delivery options.
The Bicester site was officially opened on 1st October by Andrew Nicholls and Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham Kb, international businessman and cross bench peer in the House of Lords, who cut the ribbon declaring the buildings open for business.
Andrew Nicholls, Chief Executive of the Nicholls Group, said: “It’s fantastic news to have extended our presence within Bicester and Oxfordshire through the opening of our first “Supersite”. Coupled with our local knowledge and the projected growth of the town, our new business location offers a massive opportunity to the Nicholls Group, the people of Bicester and the local economy. The sheer scale of the new site allows us to increase the services we offer, whilst also enhancing our core businesses to provide the best possible offering to our customers in Bicester and the surrounding villages”.
Throughout the grand opening event visitors were able to speak to leading kitchen and bathroom manufacturers whilst browsing the new showroom, and enjoy cooking demonstrations from TV chef Peter Sidwell. The new Showroom offers a free of charge 3-D photorealistic CAD drawing service, free site or home surveys and a “Kids Zone” to occupy and entertain visiting kids, whilst parents browse the display areas.
The opening event was celebrated with the chance for visiting customers to win some amazing prizes. The grand prize of a new kitchen, and appliances to go alongside, worth over £10,000 was won by Michelle Styles. Second prize of £2,000 worth of Bedroom Furniture was won by Ian Silvester, and third Prize of £1,000 worth of Bathroom Furniture was won by Geraldine Knox.
Witney branch expansion
The Bicester site hasn’t been the only area of growth for John Nicholls recently. Its branch in Witney had often struggled to entice customers, due to the small shop area and stock offering available, so when the adjoining unit became free, this provided an opportunity to expand.
The merchant side of the business increased from 40m2 to 90m2 in March this year, with a larger open plan office space, as it completed the move to the neighbouring unit. This allowed the previous space to be used as a showroom.
The growth in the shop floor area has allowed for not only an increase in core plumbing and heating stock, such as the Instinct Range, but also the introduction of decorating and building products – again something that the site was unable to offer previously. The branch has seen a noticeable upturn in footfall as a result.
On the 18th July, the company was joined by some of its main suppliers, alongside loyal and valued customers for a Trade Evening, to mark the opening of both the units.
Overall the showroom refurbishment had taken six weeks to complete, with all manner of restoration work going in to it, including the addition of a roadside display to catch passing customers.
Positive signs ahead it would seem for John Nicholls then!
