BSS Industrial has launched its first retail style trade counter, following extensive market research into buying trends and habits across its nationwide branches.  

The leading distributor's Nottingham branch has been completely refurbished. The most commonly purchased products are displayed customer side which allows contractors to browse and select items at their leisure, rather than having to ask staff behind a traditional trade counter.  A number of plasma screens and front of counter promotions also give customers a wider range of options and help them to discover new products. 

The new look Nottingham branch is trialling the new layout which will be rolled out across the BSS network if customers react positively to the transformation. The customer focused nature of the branches is supported by a commitment to develop branch staff with extensive training in customer care. 

Peter Sullivan, Operations Director at BSS Industrial, added: "Once it had been decided that the Nottingham branch of BSS Industrial was due to be refurbished, we wanted to make sure we were giving customers exactly what they wanted. We did this by carrying out extensive customer research and found that there was demand for a fresh branch format with essential supplies laid out in front of the customer rather than stored behind the counter.

"BSS Nottingham has been modernised in reaction to customer demand and we're confident it will be received positively. If this trade counter layout proves to be successful, we will be looking to apply the format to other branches across the UK."