her car earlier, she noticed Silvan trailers, and she wonders how much it will cost to rent one. It might actually be cheaper than having to rent a van. Gitte is at the center of Silvan’s philosophy: she is a DIY’er, and she has got a project. She is moving and that means that she potentially will spend a significant amount of money in Silvan. That is - if Silvan is able to help her adequately to succeed with her project… “...which we will. Silvan’s objective is to make it convenient to do it yourself,” says Freddy Lauridsen, Silvan’s CEO. “The entire concept of convenience is where we distinguish ourselves from our competitors. We have two strong competitors in the DIY segment. The first one is a straightforward discount concept. We
have more items on stock and our service is better. The second one is a big box concept with huge outlets. In fact, their size can be rather intimidating to consumers which
means that it is easier to shop in Silvan.” Silvan was established in 1968 (the name comes from the Latin word for tree: silva), and since 1968, Silvan has become a well regarded brand. The store concept is well defined and whether Gitte enters a Silvan in Vejle or in Birkerød, the outlet has the same look and feel thanks to a detailed shop concept. Thanks to the manual, all the knowledge, experience and insights of 40 years of DIY retailing is being distributed to every shop.
Don’t argue with customers
Frontline competency is a key element for Silvan
When new items arrive, they arrive with detailed drawings explaining how they should be placed on shelves, how many there should be in the shop, stocking, how to display them and ...they come with coaches. Silvan has four traveling sales coaches, each responsible for a number of outlets. Whenever new items are launched, the coaches visit the shops to provide on the job training for staff. When hiring staff, they learn the Silvan way. Everything is
Shopping in Silvan is all about convenience, says Freddy Lauridsen, Silvan’s CEO
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