DIYWEEK.net

More than 80 suppliers braved the recent floods of the Westcountry to attend BHETA's latest Meet the Buyer/Screwfix Innovation Day at the aptly-chosen Yeovil Innovation Centre this week.
Described by BHETA DIY director Peter Stone as the association's "biggest ever" Meet the Buyer day to date, the event - also labelled Screwfix Innovation Day - saw a plethora of new and existing Screwfix suppliers pitching their latest products and concepts to the retailer's sought-after buying team. Suppliers met with buyers from a host of Screwfix departments, and had 20 minutes to convince them of their products' worthiness in a Dragon's Den style pitch.

The day had an added incentive for the suppliers, with Screwfix offering the chance to participate in a four month online trial in a dedicated area of the Screwfix website, which currently boasts more than one million unique users. Successful candidates are expected to feature from February next year.

Those who impressed the buyers in their appointment slots were referred to Screwfix's quality, administration and supply representatives for the chance to cut through the red tape. With more than 150 appointments scheduled on the day, the Innovation Centre held a real buzz of "business being done here," as Screwfix commercial director Andrew Livingston put it to DIY Week on the day.

Peter Stone, too, commented on the day's "great energy from both sides" and said he wholeheartedly endorsed the encouragement of new innovation from suppliers.

For a more detailed look at the latest BHETA Meet the Buyer/Screwfix Innovation Day event - including supplier comment, success stories, and a fly-on-the-wall look at a pitch in action - see the December 14 issue of DIY Week.