Laithwaites gets personal

Laithwaites is developing a system whereby every single customer will have their own specific member of staff dealing with their transactions. 

Simon McMurtrie, group chief executive of Direct Wines, of which Laithwaites is a subsidiary, told the drinks business: “We have hundreds of thousands of customers, but we don’t want them to feel like they’re one of hundreds of thousands.”

As companies continue to find ways to fight for their share in such a competitive retail market, McMurtrie added: “We’re moving towards saying to customers, ‘You will have a specific named individual who will look after you.’”

McMurtrie further claimed that of all UK wine retailers, Laithwaites is in the best possible position to be able to offer such a tailored service. “We have the kinds of systems to be able to manage that kind of thing. It’ll take some time to get there, but then we already do it for a large number of customers.”

As the retailer continues to develop online customer interaction through its revamped website, McMurtrie said that he wants his company to be online friendly but “channel neutral” to ensure customers retain their preferred method of correspondence.

Laithwaites Wine donated £40,000 to the Chilean Embassy’s earthquake appeal last week, £39,437.22 of which was derived from sales of Chilean wine.

The full interview with Simon McMurtrie will be available in the May issue of the drinks business.

Jane Parkinson, 19.04.2010