Our Direct to Consumer Business Model
As a direct to consumer brand, ProCook is a disrupter in the kitchenware market
As a direct-to-consumer brand, we have complete control of routes to market and our customer proposition enabling us to offer beautiful products at great value for our customers. Our resilient and scalable model is supported by our well-invested infrastructure, our remarkable people and our culture which has supported our continued growth.
Our resources
Our brand
We offer beautiful high-quality products at great value, accompanied by high levels of service and inspiration, allowing us to generate loyal customers for the long term. We are still increasing awareness of our proposition to a wider customer group and there remains a significant opportunity to raise our profile further in the years ahead.
Our people and culture
Our culture reflects our family heritage. Our people and teams are agile, collaborative and customer-focused. With high colleague engagement, our people are loyal and committed to continually developing our brand and customer proposition.
Our supply chain
Product ranges are designed, sourced and refined by our in-house design and purchasing teams. We direct-source all of our products from our manufacturing suppliers through long term partnerships, many of which have grown since the business first began. We operate two distribution centres ourselves to service our retail stores and home delivery operations. Our new DC and office facility which we expect to open in FY23, will provide additional capacity for continued growth.
Our retail estate
Our retail stores are geographically spread throughout the UK and offer our customers a convenient and inspirational shopping experience, with the opportunity to seek advice from our knowledgeable colleagues and to trial products in store. Located in leisure-based retail destinations (designer outlet centres, garden centres and regional shopping centres) our stores are profitable and act as brand beacons, helping to raise awareness.
Our technology
Our proprietary technology, developed in-house over 15 years with in-built customer data and analytics capabilities, supports our operations and provides a strong platform for continued growth. Our systems and website channels are maintenance-light and are continually developed by our own Technology team, allowing us to deliver customer and operating enhancements rapidly. We use best-in-class, third-party tools to augment our own platforms where appropriate.
How we create value for customers
- Cutting out the middlemen; great quality products at lower prices
- Designing product ranges to offer durability and excellent performance
- Warranties of up to 25 years, offering peace of mind
- Excellent-rated service both in our stores and for home delivery with next-day delivery as standard
- Inspiration including recipe ideas, “how to” guides and cookery school lessons helping improve skills in a hands-on, relaxed atmosphere in central London
How we deliver long-term profitable growth
- Continued growth in customer acquisition and retention
- Controlling pricing and promotional activity, including product launches and replacement cycles in a way that is not possible in a wholesale model
- Maintaining strong product and channel operating margins
- Monitoring marketing spend and return on investment
- Managing our cost base carefully, ensuring that we are being as efficient as possible
- Investing for long-term growth with careful business case consideration
Sustainable value creation
Our customers
We cut out the middlemen by designing and direct-sourcing our products ourselves, and operating our own routes to market, delivering better quality products for customers at lower prices. Through our D2C model, we save the customer at least 30% against comparable products from competitor brands. Our customers benefit from great advice in our retail stores, along with the ability to trial and test products, and our home delivery service offers next day delivery as standard.
Our people
As a certified Great Place to WorkTM company, we are committed to treating our people well and we continually listen to our colleagues to find ways to improve our business for the long term. Our colleagues are key to our success, and we are committed to paying all colleagues at least the Real Living Wage, promoting diversity and inclusion, and supporting wellbeing and development. We provide workplaces which are collaborative and safe spaces and encourage and support our colleagues to give back to our local communities.
Our suppliers
Many of our supplier relationships are long established, and we’re committed to working in a transparent and fair way. With our increased focus on manufacturing standards and responsible sourcing, we are supporting our supplier partners to achieve higher standards for their own people, communities and the planet we all live in.
Our communities
Locally we support a number of initiatives including the Going the Extra Mile (GEM) Project in Gloucestershire and a local women’s refuge. During FY22 we raised funds and donated products to support families in Ukraine. We continue to support Life’s a Beach, a charity which supports the eradication of single-use plastics from British beaches and the promotion of reusable products.
Our shareholders
Our focus is firmly on developing our business, and doing so in the right way, to deliver long term profitable growth. We are committed to our dividend policy of returning excess cash to shareholders. The Board have recommended a final dividend in respect of FY22 of 0.9p per share.
Our Purpose
Providing everyone with the tools to bring joy to everyday cooking
Our ingredients
for success
We design and source beautiful products at great value
We help create inspirational and memorable experiences for our customers
We offer friendly, knowledgeable service customers can trust
Our
activities
Engaging our customers
Engaging our customers
We love to cook, and we’re passionate about sharing this with our customers. Attracting, engaging and retaining customers is a key focus for us in driving continued growth. Our focus on service excellence across all touchpoints helps ensure customers are well looked after. We engage with our customers via social media, email and other media channels and increasingly in our Cookery School.
Product design and development/ Sourcing and supply chain management
Product design and development/ Sourcing and supply chain management
Our in-house design teams work closely with our suppliers on initial design through to product enhancement. Our teams focus on quality, functionality, durability and sustainability, and style to create products our customers can enjoy for many years. We launch new products throughout the year, typically refreshing our range by 25% each year.
Working with our suppliers, primarily in the Far East, we bring new products to the market and maintain high availability across the range. Our supply chain teams manage the ordering, shipping and importing, right through to delivery into our stores and to customers’ homes, via our two distribution centres in Gloucester.
Routes to market
Routes to market
Ecommerce
Our Ecommerce teams manage our trading and customer experience across our platforms including the UK website, and our cookery school website. We merchandise products using high quality imagery produced in our photography studio to inspire our customers.
Retail
Our Retail offer provides a convenient and inspirational setting for customers to seek advice, browse the range, and select products to take home today. Our stores are clean and uncluttered, and wellstocked, showcasing good/better/best product ranges effectively so customers can make the right choice.
