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CUSTOMER PROFILE
Niche Opportunities
While BES is known for its service
and selection of power tools, hand tools,
safety supplies, and more, its strategy
for diversification has prompted the
addition of several niche lines that
started as a way to drive footsteps to the
store but has turned into adding more
style and flair to its offering.
“Anne brought in some designer-brand
jeans,” Baze says. “I wasn’t sure about it,
but they are selling very well.”
“They are fashionable, and they
are high dollar,” says Shoemaker. “And
they are popular. Men really do care
about style.”
They’ve also added other niches, ranging
from an enhanced selection of Milwaukee
tools to ice, and a variety of other products.
“Other people in town carry Milwaukee,
but not the larger, more diversified
selection we do,” says Baze. “And ice has
been fantastic. Customers come in and get
cases of water and two or three bags of ice
on their way out the door.”
Finding New Ways
to Serve Customers
While the addition of niches and
expansion of product lines has helped
smooth out some of the ups and downs
caused by the oil industry, the store’s
business from the oil fields certainly
hasn’t gone away.
In the oil industry, safety is a must,
and BES has positioned itself as the go-to
source for safety supplies and gear. BES
Supply Store sells safety signage, protective
clothing, fire extinguishers and more.
Along with these safety supplies, the
BES team also considers other product
offerings that can help the oil crews
run their operations more smoothly.
For instance, the BES staff delivers
several pallets of water each week to the
workers in the fields. “That’s one more
service we can offer,” says Shoemaker.
Reaching Out
In addition to seeking out ways
to differentiate their store with the
products they offer, the BES Supply
Store staff also thinks outside the
box when it comes to merchandising
and promotions.
“We are slowly theming our store,”
Shoemaker says. “We’re embracing
employees to help us merchandise in
creative ways. We all have great ideas
and work well together. It’s been fun.”
Developing unique displays catches
customers’ eyes while they are in the
store, but to keep the BES brand in
front of customers throughout the
year, the staff also engages in several
unique promotions, including a
monthly raffle.
Each month, the BES staff picks
a seasonal item that corresponds to
that month. Customers can enter a
raffle to win this prize, and the store
keeps them engaged and collects
their information.
To further expand the reach of
the business and to better service
existing customers, BES launched
Pelican coolers are a popular seller at BES Supply Store, especially for those who work in the oil fields and need to keep drinks cool throughout the day.
14
Fall 2016 •
Hardlines
Strategies