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A winning mix of digital and in-store strategies is delivering growth for The Tile Collective
The Tile Collective merges digital, people and skills
The Tile Collective showroom is in Underwood, a suburb located south-east of Brisbane’s CBD in Queensland
Knowledge gained from extensive industry experience along with a passion for tiles has propelled the business to achieving two major accomplishments: a thriving showroom and a strong online presence
The Tile Collective began as a web-based tile retailer called Cheap Tiles Online (cheaptilesonline.com.au) six years ago. The online store offers over 3000 products with more options being added constantly.
It gained momentum from selling high grade tiling products at warehouse prices and providing an efficient delivery service which allowed it to open a showroom in Underwood, a suburb located south-east of Brisbane’s CBD in Queensland. The showroom has been open for five years.
According to founder and owner Virgil Burns, their way of managing the digital component of the business is making sure they adapt to the ongoing changes in this market. And its online store is essentially supported by its in-store values of “great prices and great service”. The team work hard to execute these different retail goals. “We pride ourselves on being able to deliver on our promises and make it a hallmark of our business model to continue to uphold these ideals,” said Virgil.
In late 2019, the decision was made to group all areas of the business under the over-arching brand, The Tile Collective.
Permission to sell
You could easily say that The Tile Collective has a consultative approach to selling. “We have always worked with the mantra of ‘We’re in the business of people, not tiles’” explains Virgil. 10
(l&r) General manager Grant Denman with owner and founder, Virgil Burns
“With this in mind, we are very selective throughout our hiring process so that our team consists of staff that are focused primarily on customer service and brand culture.
“First and foremost, we encourage our team members to always put the client first and give them the time they need to make their selections from beginning to end. They must be able to problem solve, and help our clients finalise design decisions in a timely way, as well as keep up with industry trends.”
The company assumes every person learns and absorbs information differently so its training is tailored to give each staff member enough time for questions to be answered thoroughly, and they can get a good understanding of the business fundamentals.
“We believe there is always something new to learn and continually adapt our training strategies. We are also constantly asking for feedback from our customers to see how we can improve. This openness to change and explore ideas has had a huge impact on us and enabled us to continuously evolve the business,” said Virgil.
The team is led by Virgil and general manager Grant Denman, who between them have 45 years of experience in the tile industry. It was gained from working in all areas of the industry, from tiling as a trade, to wholesale, retail, logistics and ecommerce. As a result, its customers have access to advice, product and awareness of the marketplace that is up to date.
“We work with our staff closely, helping them to develop in a well-supported environment that ensures our clients are handled with confidence and professionalism,” adds Virgil.
The Tile Collective differentiates itself with its management approach. Even with the level of proficiency and workload it takes to run a growing business, both Virgil and Grant are very hands-on in the business with packing and delivering the tiles when needed. There is no job within the business that they won’t step into, so that customers receive the service they feel they deserve.
Nikki Watts works as the builders’ liaison at The Tile Collective
Virgil also said it has the reach and capability of other national brands, while maintaining the “family owned” feel of a smaller business for its team. “We believe this creates a healthy and enjoyable environment for our team and customers alike. A flat management structure where all staff are empowered to get on with their job and can respond quickly to
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customers, and where management remains at the forefront of an everchanging market.”
He points to different members of the team, as examples of the culture he has established in the company. “We are extremely proud of our builders’ liaison Nikki Watts. With her passion and dedication to service and efficiency, she has built the department from the ground up. Her competence from working in the industry has given her the skills that our residential and commercial builders want,” said Virgil.
The Tile Collective caters to small to large
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renovation. ”
Since government restrictions have been imposed as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic, it has implemented safety measures for its staff and customers. Grant explains, “We have split our team so that we can run two shifts of skeleton staff to reduce the potential for exposure.
“We have also set up an outdoor waiting area with social distancing set up, as well as limiting the number of customers in the showroom at any one time. This, along with extra cleaning and precautionary directives for staff means we can maintain our service and sales so far. Our goal is to continue to adapt to make sure our staff and customers are always being taken care of.”
It has also taken steps to bolster its online business. “It means directing our marketing towards people who may be isolated and ensuring they have multiple points of contact with
our staff so they continue to receive great customer service, from the comfort and safety of their homes,” said Grant.
Background
As the owner, Virgil’s expertise with tiles began at 12 years of age when he assisted tiling mosaics in the shower of the family home. He said he was such a natural that he was left to grout them all by himself and that’s where he caught the bug. A year later he was given some work as a labourer with a tiling crew before becoming an apprentice tiler at the young age of 15, working for a longestablished family business called R Dunn and Sons that serviced areas from Newcastle (NSW) right up to Bundaberg (QLD).
After completing his apprenticeship and finding that he had the knack for managing people, he built up a group of 15 qualified tilers and began to supply and install for some notable residential builders. It wasn’t long before he was off the tools and running all of the behind the scenes operations of a professional tiling crew and beginning to learn the retail aspects of the business.
Virgil’s involvement in retail began with a small warehouse in Brisbane where Virgil would hold stock, serve customers and pack the orders himself. Cheaptilesonline. com began as one of his projects and as it began to gain traction, it required larger premises and assistance to continue to prosper.
After settling in the Underwood location, Grant was brought on board to assist with the development and day to day operations of the business. This “go getter” attitude and their shared industry knowledge meant that the two of them were able to work closely together to develop the processes and product ranges into what form the foundations of the business today.
Grant started his career with
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DIY Tiles when he was 19 years old. “I started in the warehouse, and moved to logistics and administration, then through to merchandising and showroom assistant.
“I left to pursue an opportunity at a daily deals website to gain some ecommerce experience. I came back to tiles as a wholesale sales rep and then moved on to help Virgil build the business from the ground up when the opportunity came up. It was really exciting for me because it allowed me to use the skill set from working
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in the industry, and use my creative side as well. I’m a musician and love that business can essentially be a creative endeavour when you approach it with the right attitude.”
Target markets
The Tile Collective caters to small to large residential builders, and other commercial clients as well as “weekend warriors” or DIY enthusiasts looking to do a quick renovation. “We carry a large amount of stock in our warehouses so we can keep up with supply and get our clients what they need, when they need it,” said Virgil. There is a fairly even split between professional trades and DIY customers.
Direct imports are one of the things they are most proud of, according to Grant. “We work with our factories to get the best quality at a competitive price point,” he said.
“The Tile Collective import from a variety of well known, reputable factories across the world. We have worked closely with Tile Agencies Group (TGA) on some of our bestselling product lines over the last 18 months. We also support our local suppliers that we have worked with from the very beginning. Our strong relationships have been paramount to the success of our company and this is something we are always looking to build on.”
Some of its most popular ranges include Picasso by Domino and Hampton from President that is sourced through Bryan Vadas at TGA, and the Lifestone series that it has developed and imported directly. “I’ve always been a fan of the quality of Guocera and MML products, so will always stock a few ranges that we get through DIY Tiles,” said Grant.
The Tile Collective has found that its everyday low prices (EDLP) is the main reason it has customers coming back, again and again. “We are always increasing our stocked ranges and ensure that we
keep products that are ‘on trend’ but at very reasonable pricing. We understand pricing and quality is important to our clients, so we try to keep the prices low and the product and service high,” explains Virgil.
As an independent tile business without any ties to a buying group, it has been experiencing steady growth since it opened its Underwood showroom. “Our last quarter has been up on the previous year which seems to buck the trend of the market currently in a lot of areas,” said Virgil. n
