Three business partners and five team members focus on excellent customer service
Customer care is key to the success of The Aquatic Warehouse in Hertfordshire. Here Glen Bird, a partner in the business, reveals how this specialist outlet has grown over the past three decades
Can you tell us about the history of The Aquatic Warehouse?
The Aquatic Warehouse was formed in December 1993 when our three partners purchased the Cole Green premises just outside of Hertford, Hertfordshire. Soon after, the refurbishment began in earnest!
In March 1994 we opened the doors to the public, showcasing our cold-water section, and whilst trading we also built our tropical fish house and opened this in October 1994. Fast forward eight years, where trade continued to thrive, we opened our second store in Crews Hill.
Later that same year however, tragedy struck. In November 2002 an electrical fire gutted the entire Cole Green site. A truly terrible time, but one that taught us the art of resilience and cemented our ambitions even further. Whilst we waited for planning permission to be approved and for our new building to be erected, we strove ahead with the opening of a third store in Harlow in 2003, marking our 10th anniversary in business.
The store works with leading suppliers
January 2004 saw the Cole Green store reopen, and all three stores ran alongside one another. However, our management team continued to assess the success of our stores and after a period of reflection felt that three stores spread the team too thinly and, not wanting to see customer service standards slip, the decision was made to close the Harlow store. In 2015, the team also took the decision to concentrate on the Cole Green store, making it The Aquatic Warehouse’s flagship store. The store was fully refurbished to mark this exciting chapter and was designed to be the best aquatic retail outlet in the area.
In 2016, reacting to customer demand, we diversified, launching our pond and aquarium maintenance business which is going from strength to strength. We have since closed our Crews Hill branch and relocated our staff to the Cole Green site to ensure it is as good as it can be.
How big is the store and how many employees?
The Aquatic Warehouse sits on a 6,500st ft site with ample parking, supported by three partners – myself, Paul Sharpner and June Sharpner – and five incredibly dedicated and passionate team members.
What sets The Aquatic Warehouse apart from other stores and why do your customers like you so much?
We believe it’s our exemplary customer service that sets us apart! We pride ourselves on giving a superior standard of service to all our customers, many of whom we have known for years.
We also believe in offering a truly personal service, hence the customer loyalty and retention that we are so proud to have achieved. Simple things such as meeting and greeting all our customers can make such a difference to the customer experience and we are delighted to share our advice, knowledge and support to both the novice and seasoned fish-keeper. We are also flexible and will always ‘go the extra mile’ to help our customers as demonstrated during the Covid lockdown, when we provided a delivery service to our most vulnerable customers, free of charge.
We offer all our customers a Privilege Card which gives them a 10% discount off all fish and plants – this gives us the opportunity to engage with new faces and introduce ourselves to customers.
Our excellent staff certainly set us apart from other stores. They enjoy being ‘part of the family’ and understand the importance of customer retention. We are fortunate to have low staff turnover and our loyal staff have been with us for many years, and we know our customers enjoy being served by a familiar face.
All of this has meant that we have created a friendly store which has a great, fun atmosphere.
What have been your biggest ‘wins’ as a business?
Our main objective is to remain a ‘bricks and mortar’ business supported by a strong management structure which sees at least one partner present in the shop seven days a week. We also pride ourselves on providing professional aftersales and maintenance service support and having a knowledgeable team with an unrivalled understanding of the products we offer. It is this knowledge that we want to pass onto our customers, taking the time to educate them on how to run their pond and aquarium in the best possible way. It is these values that underpin everything we do.
We have also totally redesigned our shop and cold-water area to enable us to house a huge variety of livestock and an impressive range of branded goods – together creating one of the best aquarium stores anywhere in the UK. We are exceptionally proud of what we have achieved.
It would be remiss of us not to mention our involvement with the BBC DIY SOS ‘Big Build’ programme in 2016, which was a favourite memory for many of us. Filmed in Welwyn Garden City, we were able to contribute to this incredible and humbling experience, installing an OASE biOrb Life 30 aquarium (kindly donated by the OASE team) in a special dialysis room being constructed in the home of a lovely, local lady.
What is your long-term vision for the business?
Our long-term vision is simple – to continue to deliver on the standards we have already set for ourselves. We want to continually improve our store to ensure that it is a pleasant and enjoyable environment in which to shop and to ensure that we stock everything a customer would hope to find here.
We will also continue to develop our pond and aquarium maintenance business which is growing exponentially year on year. This added value service not only broadens our customer base, but we know it also leads to increased sales in store.
Which brands do you enjoy working with?
We have always had, and hope to continue to have, a great relationship with OASE. They have helped us create a fantastic in-store display of both aquariums and dry goods; products which we know drive sales and encourage customer loyalty thanks to the quality and breadth of products on offer.
We also particularly enjoy working with biOrb, Den Marketing, Hagen, Hikari, Hozelock, Interpet/Blagdon, JUWEL, Red Sea and Tetra.
Any product lines you couldn’t be without?
Quite simply, OASE. Their quality products never fail to satisfy, all supported by eye-catching packaging that looks great on the shelf, effectively selling itself.
How are consumer demands/trends changing?
The Aquatic Warehouse does not currently have an online presence although we appreciate customers do buy products in this way. Whilst it would be easy to be enticed by an online store, we strongly believe in educating our customers about specific products through friendly and frequent interaction in store. In our experience, customers are willing to get the best for their livestock and often feel let down by online stores which fail to provide comprehensive after sales service and advice. For us, there is no substitute for this invaluable face-to-face interaction.
Additionally for us, the excellent relationships we have built with our suppliers and wholesalers over the last 28 years of trading mean we can be highly responsive to customer demands. Even when product is not in stock, we can order and receive specialist goods in a very short timeframe.
How do you see the difference between the pond & indoor aquatics markets & which brands do you work with within these product sectors?
Both the pond and indoor aquatics markets are seeing sales continue year-round, although we do see cold-water livestock sales dip for a three-to-four-month period each year during the winter.
The trend for year-round pond maintenance is building and we are pleased to see this happen. Customers are coming to understand that in order for their ponds to remain in tip top condition at all times then regular pond maintenance is key.
