For almost 30 years the Walker family has been running a destination DIY and garden store in Dunoon on Scotland’s picturesque Firth of Clyde. Staying relevant – and having an excellent coffee shop – are essential parts of the successful formula.
THERE CANNOT BE many Bira members that owe their present success to Mikhail Gorbachev, but Walkers Mica of Dunoon might raise the odd glass of vodka – or more likely, Scotch whisky – to the former Communist leader.
Gorby’s policies of glasnost ("openness") and perestroika ("restructuring") in the late 1980s were instrumental in bringing about the end of the Soviet Union, the Eastern Bloc and the Cold War. As the threat of conflict evaporated, the United States began to scale back its military presence across Europe.
One of the bases to close was a nuclear submarine establishment, which had been based at Holy Loch, just outside the town of Dunoon on the Firth of Clyde, since 1961. As the United States Navy prepared to depart, in 1990 Andy and Madge Walker seized the opportunity to take over a 1-acre site that had hosted a USN commissary or general store.
The married couple had been running a builders’ merchants and contracting business in the Scottish seaside town since 1980. By 1990 they had expanded into DIY and gardening and with plans for a coffee shop in mind, the need for bigger premises was becoming apparent.
The site, just on the periphery of Dunoon, had been a car dealership and petrol station from the 1940s before being leased to the USN. With the owners keen to sell, a deal was swiftly agreed and Walkers of Dunoon had a rather impressive new home.
Paul Walker, who with his brother Ian joined the family firm straight from school in the 1980s, takes up the story: “The site seemed almost too big at first but we divided the rear section in half and leased out one side to another local business. We continued with the heavy-side building materials for a few years along with the fitted kitchens and bathrooms but the move in location created a shift in focus from trade to retail.
“Today Walkers Mica is a home-and-garden retail store with a coffee shop attached, with a self-storage business also on the site. But the most important thing to us is that Walkers is still run by the family, as a family business.”
Dad Andy retired in 1995, leaving Paul in charge of the office and admin and Ian in charge of the retail operations and buying. Mum Madge helped establish the reputation for quality home bak-ing that the coffee shop still enjoys today. She remains a regular at the shop, dropping in about three times a week to help with the gifts section and outdoor plants.
As Paul trained as a joiner and Ian as a plumber and heating engineer – “our parents wanted a spread of skills in the business,” Ian jokes – DIY, plumbing and hardware remains a part of the Walkers Mica mix, but a comprehensive garden-ing department (including plants) is the biggest contributor to turnover. The large selection of products also embraces paint, electrical, housewares, gifts, alcohol and, seasonally, an impressive Christmas lights grotto.
And then there are the 45 sea-going containers stacked up outside that form the self-storage side of this eclectic business. Ian explains: “As the builder’s merchants side reduced, we were left with some space at the corner of the site. We were going to construct a self-storage building until we visited another site that used the containers. We did a trial with four in 2009 and it took off immediately. Demand is still strong, so much so that we’re running out of corners to fill.”
The 20 x 8 x 8ft containers are insulated and some have been compartmentalised into two or four sections. Rental costs vary from £7 a week for a small unit, up to £34 a week for a container.
Adding the self-storage containers was not the only bit of canny foresight displayed by the Walker family. Within a couple of years of trading at the former USN site, the business had a petrol station and florist as part of its attractions and Andy and Madge finally could add the coffee shop which would bring customers into the store and give them a reason to stay.
Just over two years ago, as the central part of a £200,000 investment programme across the entire site, the old coffee shop was replaced with a smart new-build extension that includes an extensive modern kitchen and large feature windows overlooking an outside landscaped terrace. Seating capacity has increased to 120 and the menu has expanded to include full meals and alcohol. Paul and his wife Claire designed the new space while Ian oversaw the building works using local tradesmen.
At the same time, new windows were installed at the front of the store and the roof was improved to cure a network of leaks. Replacing the old sus-pended ceiling will be the next job early in 2020.
As part of the programme, things got a little greener at Walkers as the old Powermatic gas-fired blower that warmed the shed-like building was replaced with an electric air-to-air heater. The gas bill dropped from £10,000 a year to £2,000 as a result. The electricity bill has increased but sav-ings have been made on that by installing LED lights.
In a final touch of reorganisation, the petrol station was sold to Gleaner Oils, a Scottish fuel distributor which specialises in running service stations in out-of-the-way locations.
By most people’s standards, Dunoon is an out-of-the-way location, and not a very prosperous one either, which makes Walkers’ continuing cycle of success and investment even more impressive.
The main town on the Cowal peninsula in the south of Argyll and Bute, Dunoon is on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. From the early 19th century until the mid-1960s Dunoon was a popular holiday resort for workers from the west of Scotland who would take a ferry down the River Clyde – a trip described as going “doon the watter”.
Once people began to enjoy cheap foreign holidays, however, Dunoon’s decline was steep, although the local economy was underpinned to a degree by the American naval base. When the last craft departed Holy Loch in March 1992 it led to a major and continuing downturn in the local economy.
The town, which has a population of about 13,000, now relies on tourists, especially those that like walking and enjoying the stunning shoreline and inland hills. Yet Walkers’ success has been achieved with very little trade from visitors – it is, literally, a local success.
“We are very fortunate to have such a loyal, local customer base. Although we don’t have any big chain stores competing with us there are two or three other good independent DIY shops in the town and a large builders’ merchant. We are only half a mile from the town centre and we offer parking and good access,” Paul explains. “We have been trading seven days a week since our earliest days so we really are open when you need us. People visit us for lunch or a coffee and then enjoy browsing the rest of the store. It’s unique in the area, a proper destination store.”
The brothers give lots of credit for their prosperity to their membership of Mica, the independents’ co-operative trading group that became part of Bira in autumn 2019. The business had been a member of the British Hardware Federation (BHF), one of the precursors of Bira for many years, but there was a specific reason for joining Mica in 2001 – its marketing expertise based around the promotional brochures it sends out 11 times a year.
Paul admits: “Before we joined Mica, we did our own marketing, putting together our leaflets and flyers. It was about DIY – and it looked DIY! We badly needed the marketing experience of Mica. Another attraction was its buying power. On our own we might order half a pallet of goods, which was unlikely to threaten B&Q’s prices, but Mica negotiates hard and fair on behalf of 55 members across the country, not only for promotional items, but for everyday stock lines.”
The business has used an RBA software system for 20 years but a further benefit of the Mica membership was the use of the buying group’s own website template. The Walkers’ web-site is not a full representation of what the store has to offer but more a digital representation of the latest Mica promotion, offering Click & Col-lect or local delivery. Although not a significant part of the business, online sales also benefit from drop-ship supplier offers.
The brothers are active Mica members. Ian has been on the promotional and marketing committee of the group since 2014 and is also involved with the buying of Mica’s deals. He welcomes the merger with Bira: “Both associations share the same vision, to ensure independent retailers continue to thrive in the long-term and ultimately the potential to seek out new members”.
Paul has been on the Mica board since 2015 and stresses that over the 18 years of member-ship the Walkers have got to know many other members as personal friends: “The co-operative principles are important to us and for an independent located as remotely as we are, the chance to meet and talk to other independents at the six to eight regional exchanges, national meetings, store visits and supplier visits during the year have been invaluable”.
Walkers Mica of Dunoon - 361 Argyll Street, Dunoon, Argyll & Bute, Scotland PA23 7RN. Bira member since 2005 (Member of the British Hardware Federation before that). Mica members since 2001
Your retail buying calendar 2020
Plan ahead with the Bira Direct Retail Buying Calendar featuring key retail dates from must-attend trade shows to holidays and local and international calendar dates. Plan in your product ranges, events and to increase your brand awareness.