Mike‘s design

Mike’s typical week begins in the London headquarters, before visiting the Milton Keynes warehouse and customer service hub on Tuesday. For the rest of the week, Mike is on the road, visiting existing and potential dwell sites around the UK, all the while developing a better understanding of what makes the business unique.  ekonglong leisure sofa chair

Right now, his main focus is on staff training – what he refers to as “basic shop discipline”, which prioritises the team, having the right people in the right positions, and developing strong engagement skills. He says: “Consumer expectation is growing, and we need to make sure we are meeting it and exceeding it – and we’re wholly reliant on the guys in-store to achieve that.”

Unsurprisingly, for a company that began its life online, dwell enjoys a huge customer database that is ideal for regular engagement, and is used “quite aggressively” throughout the year. “Going forward,” says Mike, “we’ll get a better understanding of that data and learning what our customers want. We do need to keep signing new members – but I’m confident that we are gaining market share.”

Customer interaction manifests most clearly in the design for dwell competition, which Shaun admits was created because the retailer wished to generate new designs. The contest attracts entries from a wide spectrum of designers – and a significant number of children, who are encouraged to indulge their creative urges. Design graduate Jonathan Warren, the winner of last year’s competition, now works part-time for dwell’s buying department – see the Q&A interview with Jonathan elsewhere in this issue for more details.

Fresh design is integral to dwell’s offer – founder Aamir Ahmad, who remains active in the company’s branding and design, set high standards from the outset, and the buying team has grown with the company. When pressed on the specifics of the company’s buying decisions, Shaun is self-deprecative, saying: “Most of the furniture comprises things we’d want to buy!” However, there is a depth and originality to dwell’s offer that sets it apart from its competitors.

“We offer a designer look for a very different price,” says Mike. “Much of the product is unusual, and unique. Others tend to look at dwell and copy us, so we have to keep one step ahead. There’s an understated uniqueness to our product, and I’d like to find ways to ensure that this edge to our identity works harder for us.”

Although – surprisingly – fabric sofas account for the greatest proportion of dwell’s sales, the retailer’s identity is inextricably tied to accessories, which also form a vital part of the retailer’s in-store theatre and window dressing. “Accessories are a great vehicle for getting people in and expanding sales,” says Mike. “An average dwell shop has more customers in it than any other shop I’ve been in. We are well placed to be a browsing destination, not unlike a fashion store.”

New product is a key part of any growing and developing business, and it’s the reason we are talking in London today. Besides the three trend displays discussed earlier, the retailer plans to expand its accessory offering considerably, while addressing its dearth of beds and leather-upholstered sofas.

This exhibition marks the start of a new phase for dwell, which is set to evolve rapidly in its own unique, organic way. The retailer has already proved that competitively-priced contemporary product strikes a chord with a wide customer demographic – particularly in London. Recent investment in customer service, new stores, and new people – experienced people like Mike Haines – means it is set to become a household name in the near future.

“The people in the business are so passionate about the brand, and what they want to achieve,” says Mike. “I’m beginning to understand the business and its unique aspects – and already I can tell that there’s no need to change very much of it …”