DEEP DEEP CUTS SMART NEW ZEALAND
NATIONAL HARDWARE CHAIN BUNNINGS INCREASES SMART STOCK SMART UK
SMART UK DISTRIBUTION CENTRE EXPANDS ASSEMBLY AREA SMART EUROPE
SMART PARTNERS WITH LOCAL HARDWARE CHAIN IN ICELAND SMART SCANDINAVIA
SMART TO EXHIBIT IN NORDBYGG 2022
SMART GLOBAL NEWSLETTER | Q1 2022
SMART GLOBAL
SMART
DEEP CUTS | SMART GLOBAL NEWSLETTER | Q1 2022
GLOBAL SMART GLOBAL
Hello and welcome SMART employees, clients, and partners. Happy New Year! It is great to have you back for another edition of DEEP CUTS, the SMART Tool Group Global Newsletter. I hope you had a good holiday season and are ready to tackle 2022. In this issue, we have rounded up a few bite-sized highlights from each SMART region from last year as well as new and exciting things that are coming this year. Before we go over what has been happening in other SMART regions, let’s look back to where SMART all started and read about our growth in the local hardware chain, Bunnings, on page 2. Our SMART UK, Europe, and Scandinavia representatives make their acting debut in a new company video. Set to release in this quarter, watch the vision and mission of SMART come to life with jaw-dropping camera shots and captivating interviews. See the sneak peek on page 4. The UK-made Starlock blades were launched late last year, and it quickly garnered high demand from our end users. To keep up with this demand, we made a change in our warehouse that can significantly reduce wait times in between stock deliveries to our distributors and therefore our end users. Learn more about this change on page 6. We are also working hard to make SMART available in other countries, namely Ireland and Iceland. Read about how social media has made it easy to raise awareness of our brand in Ireland on page 7, and flip to page 8 for our developments in Iceland. Disappointed in the postponement of the International Hardware Fair in Cologne? Turn that frown upside down and flick through to page 10 to read about Nordbygg, Northern Europe’s largest trade show for the building and construction industry. On the note of international affairs, for a brief update on the European restrictions from the pandemic, go to page 9. Thank you for reading and being a part of the second edition of DEEP CUTS. I wish you a happy, healthy, and safe 2022, and I hope to see you in the next one. Sincerely, Katya Soedigwan EU Marketing Coordinator On behalf of SMART Tool Group Global
WWW.SMART-TOOLGROUP.COM
A big thank you to the following people on making this edition of DEEP CUTS possible: Robert Mallory – Global Marketing Manager UK Simon Suckling – International Sales Manager EU Sam Boon – National Account Manager NZ Stephanie Eastlake – Senior Graphic Designer UK
1
NEW SMART NEW ZEALAND
NATIONAL HARDWARE CHAIN BUNNINGS INCREASES SMART STOCK HIGH DEMAND FROM END USERS DRIVES LOCAL HARDWARE CHAIN TO HAVE MORE SMART PRODUCTS AVAILABLE IN STORE Before we catch up on what SMART has been up to in many different parts of the world, let’s take a step back and travel to our origins, where we started in 2008. SMART was founded in the island country of New Zealand with a simple dream of becoming a global brand of multi-tool accessories. Nearly 13 years later from our humble beginnings, SMART has grown worldwide and has quickly become a household name in our homeland, known for providing high performing and quality blades at great prices. End users all over New Zealand rave about SMART blades. On the website of hardware chain Mitre 10, you can find several 5-star reviews and many 2
positive words on the performance of our blades. One particular reviewer by the name of Keiren in Auckland wrote, “Great product for the price
with multiple grade blades for the price of one. These are what I look for every time and nothing else. I have and still will buy a lot of these.” Speaking of hardware chains in the country, Bunnings is another popular one that many New Zealanders go to. With many large format stores across the country, SMART has a strong presence in the power tool accessory aisle. Over the past few months, we have been working hard to increase the available SMART blades and
DEEP CUTS | SMART GLOBAL NEWSLETTER | Q1 2022
ZEALAND SMART NEW ZEALAND
“GREAT PRODUCT FOR THE PRICE WITH MULTIPLE GRADE BLADES FOR THE PRICE OF ONE. THESE ARE WHAT I LOOK FOR EVERY TIME AND NOTHING ELSE. I HAVE AND STILL WILL BUY A LOT OF THESE.”
accessories that Bunnings has in stock. The in-store displays are being refreshed around the country, making it easier to view and select the right blades and help drive the ROI on the display space. Now, the group is carrying over 40 SMART SKUs, or Stock Keeping Units, including the new “Box Cutter” and 4 and 8-piece assortments from the Blue Professional range, as well as the ever-expanding range of the SMART Starlock blades.
WWW.SMART-TOOLGROUP.COM
3
SMART UK
4
DEEP CUTS | SMART GLOBAL NEWSLETTER | Q1 2022
UK
SMART UK
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! SHINING A WELL-DESERVED SPOTLIGHT ON THE GROWTH OF SMART GLOBAL When compared to other multi-tool accessory brands on the market, SMART Tool Group is a relatively young company. Although new, we have strong values and have many unique selling points that lead to long-lasting partnerships with various retailers and other stakeholders. 13 years since our inception, we questioned ourselves, “How can we differentiate ourselves from our competitors?” as we were indeed growing and expanding around the world, but we knew we had the potential to do better. To answer this question, we decided to make a new company video. We contacted SCOPIC, a production house based in Lancaster, UK, and we worked together with Mike Brydon, the Head of Production and Drone Pilot, in getting the perfect shots to create the ultimate SMART story. We filmed this video in early November at the UK head office in Chelmsford as well as the UK distribution centre in Braintree. We gathered a large portion of the SMART Global team to be featured in this exciting video, including the European and Scandinavian WWW.SMART-TOOLGROUP.COM
representatives to share their role in making SMART the leading multi-tool brand on the market. The company video explores not only what SMART stands for as a business, but also tells the story of our products from the very beginning to the very end. This process includes all stages, such as research and development, manufacturing, assembly, packaging, distribution, marketing, product performance, and everything in between. In the video, we demonstrate our capacity in each global region and
how our products can still stand out in different corners of the world. It also includes interviews with key personnel and heads of departments wherein they speak about what makes SMART different from other brands and how we are always one step ahead of them, really sealing in the deal that we are on a journey to make SMART available to tradespeople in every corner of the world. Furthermore, this video functions to communicate with stakeholders on the options available when a partnership is made with SMART, as well as how we can work together to be the leading blade and accessory brand in the global market. The final company video is due to be released in early 2022, but as we wait for it to be in its perfect form, here are some sneak peeks of the video’s first draft.
5
SMART UK
SMART UK DISTRIBUTION CENTRE EXPANDS ASSEMBLY AREA HOW THE SMART TEAM IS ADAPTING TO THE HIGH DEMAND OF UK-MADE STARLOCK BLADES 2021 was a tough but exciting year for SMART Global. One of the highlights from last year was finally launching and releasing our very own range of Starlock blades that are made and assembled in the UK. Some of these blades were only previously available in the Open Back (universal) fitment, so having this option is incredibly important for consumers who only have a Starlock-fitment multi-tool. The warehouse, which holds the assembly centre, is located in Braintree, which is an easy, less-than30-minutes’ drive from the SMART Global head office in Chelmsford. By manufacturing them locally, we can assure end-users that these blades were made with the highest quality and given the utmost care and attention so it works as intended. These blades quickly became a hit with our customers, and as Starlock multi-tools are rapidly becoming more popular, they want a well-priced 6
blade that has great quality and gets the job done. As our stock flew off the shelves, we quickly realised that we needed to change the way we assemble our blades. We decided to expand the assembly area in our 16.000 square feet Braintree distribution centre as it has become an important function for our UK operation to be able to assemble and pack blades quickly, efficiently and flexibly to meeting fluctuations in demand.
This larger space not only has the capacity to hold up to 3.200 pallets, but also allows for ongoing assembly and packing of UK-made Starlock blades, as well as enabling flexibility for custom projects and assemblies. This gives us more options to quickly deliver promotional packs, customised packs, or facilitate quick changes to product composition where required. It is the place where we leverage the supply chain network to bring components together and make up final products. Furthermore, we have started on a new journey of improving value add by offering customisation. Whatever 2022 has in store for us, our warehouse is now ready to tackle them —bring it on!
DEEP CUTS | SMART GLOBAL NEWSLETTER | Q1 2022
UK
SMART UK
BRAND MANAGEMENT IN THE DIGITAL ERA HOW THE UK TEAM LAUNCHED SMART IN IRELAND WITH GREAT SUCCESS Building a brand in 2022 has never been this easy with the introduction of social media! Social media gained popularity in the early 2000s through platforms like Myspace and Facebook, and it took the world by storm. It quickly became an essential part in our everyday lives, with many cultures around the world incorporating it into the way their society works. It has not only been a way for friends, families, and communities of like-minded people to easily connect with one another, but also for big and small brands, businesses, and companies to communicate with and reach out to their existing, new, and potential customers. There are now so many ways a company can utilize social media to their advantage. Since late last year, the team over in the UK has been working hard to grow the SMART brand in Ireland and Northern Ireland. We have partnered with a local distributor to do this, but what better way to launch a brand than with social media? We already have a strong marketing and social media strategy, so we are essentially copy and pasting it to this new market. Like the other brand pages we have, we aim to develop, grow, strengthen and raise awareness of the SMART brand with end users to ultimately support our distributors and drive sales through now and in the future. WWW.SMART-TOOLGROUP.COM
We are utilising Facebook and Instagram as our main social media channels. From this we are using it to build an audience and communicate the SMART brand and products we have in our range, familiarising our end users with the blades and accessories that we offer. We also aim to leverage our content to further establish ourselves as thought leaders in the industry who are always producing, posting, and sharing high quality and accessible content on a consistent basis.
influencer marketing. Influencers are and can be very, well, influential, and we are working hard in developing an in-country influencer network to support our ongoing social media activities and generate positive sentiment. People are more easily influenced in making a purchase when they hear recommendations and testimonials from someone who is both an expert in their field, so we are tapping into tradespeople with lots of years of experience to put our products to the test and share their positive experience to their followers. Influencers also have a real and longlasting impact on the market; as their page and persona grows, the brands they work with also grows.
Be sure to give our SMART Tools Ireland pages a follow on Facebook and Instagram!
Another strategy we like to use and know is incredibly effective is 7
SMART EUROPE
SMART PARTNERS WITH LOCAL HARDWARE CHAIN IN ICELAND ICELANDERS ARE READY TO WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER! If you are an avid watcher of the hit HBO TV series Game of Thrones, you might be familiar with the sights and landscape of the country of Iceland. Part of the Nordic countries alongside with Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden, this country is known to be the most sparsely populated country in Europe with a head count of only 300,000. Around 60% live in the capital city, Reykjavík. Reykjavík is deemed one of the cleanest, greenest, and safest cities in the world, and is also the northernmost capital city in the world. From the airports of Amsterdam Schiphol, London Luton, London Gatwick, and London Heathrow, it is a direct 3-hour flight to the country’s largest airport, Keflavík International (KEF). We saw lots of potential in having SMART in Iceland. Correspondence began a few years back, but due to the pandemic and other obstacles it took a while for things to really start going. Finally, in October of last year, we were lucky enough to visit this 8
stunning island in the north again to do business with Húsasmiðjan, an Icelandic chain of hardware stores, as well as take a cheeky sightseeing trip on the side to enjoy the incredible scenery and climate. Work hard, play hard!
Húsasmiðjan is the most popular hardware chain in Iceland, and they have approximately 16 modern and professional stores and warehouses across the country. We worked together with their Purchasing Manager and Project Manager for Marketing to bring over the products and have them stocked up in the stores. You can find a wide range of SMART blades in their physical stores as well as their online webshop, which includes the Purple and Green Series, available in the Open Back and Starlock fitments.
DEEP CUTS | SMART GLOBAL NEWSLETTER | Q1 2022
EUROPE SMART EUROPE
EUROPEAN TRAVEL EASES AS BOOSTER CAMPAIGN ROLLS OUT THIRD JAB APPOINTMENT TODAY, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MEETING TOMORROW Travelling throughout Europe has eased in the last quarter of 2021. With governments rolling out and speeding up the vaccinations for their citizens, as well as implementing the digital QR-code certificates for ease of entering the country, it looks to be things are going back to normal. Since most of Europe is a large, connected landmass, travelling to other countries by driving a vehicle is easy and extremely straightforward, as long as you have the necessary (digital) documents that are required by that particular government. Air travel is also moving forward, though some may choose to opt out of flying if they prefer not to wear a mask for a longer duration of time. Furthermore, it is also a little bit trickier as border and passport control often ask WWW.SMART-TOOLGROUP.COM
for health declaration forms and other necessary documents, which definitely adds to the hassle of international travel.
The Dutch government has also implemented a hard lockdown since the 19th of December with hopes of its citizens being able to receive the third (booster) shot. With how quickly the campaign is being deployed, we can only hope the restrictions will be lifted soon as well and we can get back down to business!
These restrictions, although necessary and important for the health of citizens, do make it difficult for us to do business. Many of our partners are reluctant to have inperson, face-to-face meetings due to the Omicron variant that leads to the increasing infection rates. 9
SCAN SMART SCANDINAVIA
SMART TO EXHIBIT IN NORDBYGG 2022
INN
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE TRADE SHOWS WE ARE IN THIS YEAR As the end of 2021 rolled in, we were met with some unpleasant news that quickly ended our excitement for the International Hardware Fair in Cologne, Germany that was scheduled in for March 2022. We had written and planned out an extensive agenda that would showcase our projects and innovative multi-tool products, but unfortunately, it was postponed until September. This decision was announced by Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse, Oliver Frese, in early December, and proved to be quite a disappointment. However, it is understandable as this further date will allow for a longer showtime as well as ensuring a high level of participation from exhibitors and visitors, specifically those from the Asia region. 10
Thankfully, we are still on track to be exhibiting at Nordbygg, the biggest trade fair for the building and construction industry in Northern Europe. This will be the first time for SMART to be participating in this show. Stockholmsmässan, located in the southwest of Stockholm, Sweden, will host Nordbygg again this year.
DEEP CUTS | SMART GLOBAL NEWSLETTER | Q1 2022
NDINAVIA SMART SCANDINAVIA
NOVATION INNOVATIONS The Stockholmsmässan has been around since 1942 and was called the St:Eriks-Mässan until 1976. By 2009, the surface area of the exhibition hall totaled to 70.000m2, making it the Nordic region’s largest exhibition centre.
innovations that we wanted to present in Germany.
We will be able to offer entry passes, so if you are planning to visit, please contact James Carlen at james.carlen@smart-toolgroup.com.
We can’t wait to be a part of this amazing trade show and we will be showcasing the same WWW.SMART-TOOLGROUP.COM
11
SMART GLOBAL
12
DEEP CUTS | SMART GLOBAL NEWSLETTER | Q1 2022
GLOBAL SMART GLOBAL
WWW.SMART-TOOLGROUP.COM
13
DEEP CUTS SMART Tool Group Global
Saxon House, 23 Springfield Lyons Approach, Springfield, Chelmsford, CM2 5LB, UK