CEF television advert....

[Dustydazzler]

Just saw CEF on tv , advertising their new catalogue.
Looks very much like An attempt to launch a catalogue to match the likes of giant retailers like screwfix and toolstation

I personally never use CEF but when did they become a retailers ?

 

[Andy78]

Yes they have recently launched a new strategy. A fixed price catalogue, probably after years and years of people moaning about their random number generator approach to billing. It's like they are trying to one up Yesss at their own game.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Do we really need another electrical retailers ?

We already have Yesss , screwfix , toolstation , electrafix , TLC

Who all offer a glossy retail type catalogue and online order service

I even use amazon weekly to order bits and bobs with their guaranteed over night shipping

 

[Andy78]

Do we really need another electrical retailers ?

We already have Yesss , screwfix , toolstation , electrafix , TLC

Who all offer a glossy retail type catalogue and online order service

I even use amazon weekly to order bits and bobs with their guaranteed over night shipping

No idea, but any pricing system has got to be better than the last one. I think the large electrical online retailers all seem to be doing well with more springing up all the time.

 

[123]

Do we really need another electrical retailers ?

We already have Yesss , screwfix , toolstation , electrafix , TLC

Who all offer a glossy retail type catalogue and online order service

I even use amazon weekly to order bits and bobs with their guaranteed over night shipping

CEF predates Yesss by quite a number of years, would say CEF predates all that you have listed actually.

Can't see the harm in them updating their business model a bit, being stuck in the past is what see's company's fold.

 

[Dustydazzler]

No idea, but any pricing system has got to be better than the last one. I think the large electrical online retailers all seem to be doing well with more springing up all the time.

I guess for CEF it was simply a case of keep up with the big retailers or be cut adrift

 

[Dan]

Fair play for trying but that feels like a backwards step for their firm.

The suppliers spend years getting blokes put down catalogues to log on and then make them subscribe to a catalogue when that doesn't work.

I'd assume their online problem needed to be addressed online.

Screwfix spend a lot of money on their mag marketing. In Stoke here we have a Screwfix distribution centre for just the mags! Stock is over the road in an even bigger one.

End users are going to end up paying for their mags. And it's going cost them a fortune to try and fail at this.
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Which one was it that brothers fell out and both started their own? Yess and toolstation?

 

[Dustydazzler]

Think that was screwfix and toolstation

 

[Risteard]

YESSS was formed by several who left CEF on less than amicable terms. So CEF was around long before it.

This is the second edition of the CEF catalogue. So it's probably around three months since it was first released.

 

[Dan]

Think that was screwfix and toolstation

Wow the toolstation guy lost out there bigtime.

 

[Zerax]

Think that was screwfix and toolstation

No... the guy that started Screwfix sold it to Kingfisher (B&Q).. but in the sale agreement, they forgot to mention about not starting anything similar for x years (which is standard practice normally). So he then did Toolstation... which he then sold to Travis Perkins. More or less... it was actually his son that owned TS I think but that's probably just for tax reasons. And TP bought it in two chunks I think.

 

[pirate]

I know CEF were in Glasgow in 1978 or 1980. Been around a while. But, like Thomas Cook, you have to keep up with the times!

 

[littlespark]

I thought it was Aldi and Lidl??

The last time my local CEF had their TRADE catalogue, they had to keep them through the back to stop non- trade taking them.
It’s also the only CEF in the country which doesn’t have a coffee machine.

I have noticed CEF beat YESSS prices on Aico products by a good bit.

My only choices are CEF or YESSS... unless I go online, in which case EBay is my first choice.

 

[Darkwood]

I fear this is a negative for CEF, they claim to be a trade body yet staff are instructed now that the catalogue prices are across the board be you a walk in customer or a trade person, they have some kind of 3 month system in place that if you recently got it at discount you can retain that discount which expire post 3month, they kinda just pushed away a lot of there established customer base in my honest opinion, they seem to be ignorant of the fact many companies make almost half there profit from the discount they get as trade customers, but now it seems CEF is no longer going to distinguish them from a random walk in when it comes to buying item that are in the catalogue, that is the catalogue which is been heavily pushed and promoted.

It appears they are trying to follow the B&Q/Screwfix etc model at the sacrifice of their loyal trade customers... the gamble is, it may not work and the hardest part would be to claw back the trade customers they turned their back on, it takes decades to build up a loyal base of customers, it takes one wrong move to lose them instantly for good.

PS - this is my opinion as a customer of CEF and I can only sympathise of the unfortunate position staff has been put in in that they are now telling trade customer that much of their range is no longer subject to discount, a position I find myself in thus I am now looking at other alternatives.

 

[stevethesparks]

CEF have a pretty good website except....every time I go to order something for click and collect, its never in stock. If its less than £50, then I have to pay for delivery - even to my local store.
If they had an "in stock" filter for the branch, it would be much improved.
IMHO the best professional wholesaler in my area for me is Eddys.

 

[Dustydazzler]

The main players in my area are TLC , screwfix and toolstation.
Think I have been in my local Cef once.
But for sheer simplicity I use amazon , if I order something this afternoon it will be at my house tomorrow morning with free delivery.
If I need something today in an emergency it’s a 10 min drive to TLCs

 

[Zerax]

The division between wholesale and retail becomes less and less as time goes by.

Personally, I couldn't really care if a supplier is a retailer or wholesaler... as long as;
-They have what I want
-It's a good price
-I can park easily
-They open early & late so I can pickup at either end of the day
-If it's not in stock, I can pickup the next day
-It's local to me

 

[richy3333]

As I was informed CEF took on an ex scewedfix employee to help develop the catalogue.

CEF are always the cheapest for me but specific to the branch offer poor service due to heavy recent staff turnover. I always pay less than the catalogue price and if I ask for delivery to the branch of online materials there’s no charge to me. The local van then deliver it out to me. But, I support them and use my CEF branch.

 

[Electric Magic]

I thought it was Aldi and Lidl??

It's actually Aldi and Aldi. There are two versions (not in this country): Aldi Nord, and Aldi Sud. Originally one company started by brothers that then couldn't agree and split it into two companies.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Are carpetright and now rival carpet retailer Tapicarpets owned by father and son I think...