30 Second Interview – Ian Woosey

Despite the recession, retailer Carpetright has gone from strength to strength, including winning Retailer of the Year at the recent 2009 Retail Systems Awards. Carpetright's Ian Woosey does our 30 second interview to reveal some of the secrets of their success.

Q. What do you think has been the secret of Carpetright’s success in this recession?
A. Great product, service and prices supported by slick systems and supply chain processes. Sounds easy but is much harder to achieve in reality. We have also done a good job of keeping the cost base under control without any knee jerk reactions to the volatile economy.

Q. What’s the secret to good customer service?
A. Everything centres around the staff and their genuine desire to provide outstanding customer service. Management have to promote and nurture that attitude in every way possible to succeed.

Q. What is Carpetright’s attitude to IT?
A.We see it as an enabler, something we can use to really improve our business, gain competitive advantage and enhance the customer experience. We know the benefits are achievable through the right solutions.

Q. How do you convince your board to invest in IT?
A. The Board had the vision 5 years ago to sign off a major IT overhaul across the business. The fact that has been delivered successfully and the benefits are being realised on an ongoing basis helps but you still (quite rightly) need a rock solid business case. We don’t do technology for technology’s sake.

Q. How do you get the best out of your suppliers?
A. A lot of it is about relationships, we try to work in true partnership and view our suppliers as very much part of the team. I also prefer commercial relationships which enable all parties to benefit from successful projects or initiatives.