Q1 2021

14 | Q1 2021 Sep201054 Creating Better Homes For Better Lives Since 1973, the DIY and hardware store, Clock’s Home and Garden, has been a pillar of its community in North Yorkshire. Providing everything that budding and seasoned DIY-ers could ever need, this family-run business seeks to support customers of all ages in their handy ventures. We take a closer look at this third-generation enterprise to find out the factors behind its successful evolution over nearly fifty years. Opened in Scarborough in 1973, Clock’s Home and Garden has seen a great deal of change in the three generations that have built it. Formerly named ‘Clock’s Handyman’ for its landmark clock and its primary clientele, the centre has grown and evolved to accommodate its expanding offering and broadening base of loyal customers. Today, Clock’s is one of the largest independent DIY stores on the North Yorkshire coast, but remains devoted to its founding mission established more than forty-five years ago: to support customers as they achieve their DIY dreams, enabling them to create better homes for better lives. As the largest county of the UK, complete with inimitable areas of beauty from coast to moorland, Yorkshire relies heavily on visitor spending during the summer months. Come rain or shine, however, customers are able to rely on Clock’s for all their DIY needs all year round, even if they need compost in the winter or logs in the summer. As such, Clock’s has become a pillar of its community, welcoming customers in search of essentials or families on a day out, for instance at Christmas, when the shopping experience is enhanced by a wonderful winter wonderland. Homeowners, gardeners, DIY aficionados, students, tradespeople, crafters and more all come to Clock’s for high quality, affordable products provided with sound, friendly advice. Moreover, visitors looking for something special can visit Bibelot Bee, the gift store that sits within Clock’s and sells quirky and sweet fair-trade items that are perfect for presents or the home. Everything that you may need to turn a house into a home can be found at Clock’s. As an independent store, Clock’s is able to make fast and smart decisions that work best for their business. The quick response times of the team have made the store a firm favourite for suppliers, whilst customers are able to benefit from a constantly expanding range of products for all uses. Moreover, in the early stages of the pandemic, customers were able to rely on Clock’s efficient service and comprehensive offering to make their own premises safe, sourcing essential hardware such as clear flat plastic screening, boarding and paints from the family store. Inevitably, Clock’s faced its fair share of challenges during the pandemic, as did so many other businesses across Yorkshire and beyond. Problems with supply chains meant that the store was often unable to operate at full capacity, which some customers were less understanding about than others as they wanted to carry out their home improvement jobs whilst spending more time at home. For the most part, however, Clock’s was a vital lifeline to customers, many of whom only ventured out to the store as a one-stop shop for all their essentials. In addition, with people not wanting to travel far for both pandemic and sustainability reasons, Clock’s town location only enhanced the shop’s utility. With demand at a remarkable high due to the program of national housebuilding that was initiated pre-pandemic, as well as the increase in free time and need for functional working environments at home, Clock’s continues to establish its reputation as so much more than a hardware store. With family values still at its centre, the store is evolving to integrate technology into its operations, having recognised the need for digitisation across all industries. However, the 5,000 products online continue to be outweighed by the 20,000 products that are available in store, ensuring that the centre itself remains the heart of this beloved enterprise. As the store makes plans for its more tech-savvy future, its priority remains on the people it serves and the people who built it. Government kickstart and apprenticeship skills are proving enormously useful in helping Clock’s to expand its team, which already shares more than a century of experience and knowledge in DIY and hardware. The family of enthusiastic, practical and hardworking people are instrumental to the continued growth of Clock’s, which is showing no signs of slowing as it nears fifty years of operation. Company: Clock’s Home and Garden Centre Contact: Jane Kemp-Buglass Website : www.clockshomeandgarden.com