This extracted piece was originally published by KBB Review and is reproduced with full permission. Part 2 will be published on Friday 30th May.
Elspeth Pridham has canvassed the view of a number of successful people from our industry in an attempt to answer the question “Do male retailers understand their female customers?”
In the March issue of kbbreview, Gary Nutting of Wave Bathrooms in Salisbury UK said one of the problems with this industry is that many male retailers, particularly plumbers merchants, don’t really connect with their female customers. Gary, who took a course in interior design, said: “I learnt more from sitting in a class with 20 women than from anything else I’ve done in the industry. We like to think men and women think the same way, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.” 
Women certainly shop in a different way, making decisions based on more emotional rather than factual criteria. In other words, the emphasis is on how the kitchen makes them feel, rather than how do the soft-close hinges work.
The majority of people who shop for a kitchen or bathroom are female, so it is hardly surprising that women, who can be more tune with their customers’ thought processes, make great retailers. Certainly those interviewed for the kbbreview feature used soft, welcoming language when describing their customer interaction. Words like caring and empathy cropped up on more than one occasion. There was also mention of comfortable chats over tea and cake. For women in retail, it is more about the relationship they have with their clients than closing the deal. And it’s a strategy that works. So why are there not more women in senior retail positions?
Karen Richards, founder of the networking organisation Women in Retail, cites two main reasons: “The primary issue is lack of self-belief. Men tend to promote themselves and be promoted based on their potential. In other words, they push themselves forward based on what they think they can achieve, whereas women are judged and judge themselves on their performance”. The other and sometimes insurmountable issue is children. Richards says: “The hours you work in retail are not conducive to family life and it can be hard to navigate your way through without proper support at home.”
Sarah Ireland of Sarah Ireland Bathrooms in Worcester says: “There are now many more women working in retail, but as the majority get married and have children they don’t take the next step and go it alone. I don’t have children. It was a decision that my husband and I made. We agreed that we needed to throw our all into the shop and that meant delaying a family. Some people think you can juggle both, but I don’t think you can, this is not a nine-to-five job.” 
Diane Berry from Diane Berry Kitchens in Manchester agrees. She says: “Our trade is so hard for any woman with a family as the hours are long and clients’ expectations high. I have worked a six-day week for more than 25 years and this can only happen when you don’t have children. This is why the trade is not attractive long term to women. But society is changing and men do take a bigger role with childcare, so hopefully more women will rise up.”
Traditionally, men come to kitchen retail after being a fitter and many bathroom retailers were once plumbers merchants (sorry, but it’s impossible to write this feature without making some sweeping generalisations). Women who enter the market, on the other hand, have often trained in design. This formal training, and an eye for aesthetics, results in superior showroom displays and a creative approach to kitchen and bathroom layout. But even if they don’t have formal training, women are, according to Sharon Scammell of Scammell Interiors in York, more in tune with design: “I think women have a better eye for design and colour than men, probably because they are more interested in it. When clients come in, it is the ladies who are interested in the colours and textures, the guys are into the nuts and bolts.”
But it is not just a case of women enthusing about mosaic bathroom tiles and coloured glass splashbacks. They are, according to Berry, thoughtful designers too. She says: “Women take their time when it comes to design, as we generally take more pride in getting it perfect. Men generally just want it done and sold. I know this is a sweeping statement, as there are some amazing male designers who work to get it perfect, but sadly the kitchen trade is still full of salesmen just interested in doing the deal at any cost to the design.”
Berry continues: “Women naturally care about the client and this makes us more likely to listen to the emotional needs of the room. Women make very practical designers, as we think about where everything needs to go and how we cook a meal, where the children put their school bags, where the dog’s going to sleep.”
Cheryl Gurner at Bathrooms International in London, puts it this way: “I think what women bring to business is emotion – they have a heart. It helps them to get to know their customers and find out what works for them instinctively. Men are very cut-and-dried, ‘you want a shower, here’s a shower’, whereas women ask more questions, make more suggestions and get to the real core of what the customer is looking for.”
We know many of you will have strong feelings on this subject and we’re keen for your feedback. Go…
