Iliad Africa officially rebrands GBM division

Iliad Africa CEO Eugene Beneke

The implementation reflects the group's decision to capitalise on the strength of a single identity while optimising marketing focus and spend and providing a more consolidated offering to its customers. The new brand will provide consistency in customer experience and the opportunity for the group to build greater brand recognition and brand equity.

The launch event, held on 25 June 2013, marked the completion of the launch in all regions across the country. Significant revamps in most stores provided the platform to refresh merchandising and reposition the business to attract more of the growing DIY segment.

The Laeveld Bou stores in Nelspruit, Malelane, White River, Hazyview, Hoedspruit and Lydenburg, as well as the Builders Market in Middelburg were the first stores to convert to the new brand in 2012. Since then all 49 stores have been rebranded.

Division accounts for 76% of revenue

Eugene Beneke, CEO of Iliad Africa said, "The strategy developed after reviewing the business in the midst of the financial crisis is now steadily unfolding, underscoring the group's evolution towards sustainable growth. Supported by meticulous planning and research, we have revitalised our GBM division by launching this unifying brand across all regions. We are thrilled with how well the new brand has been received."

The GBM division, now Buco, accounts for 76% of the group's revenue. It is made up of a Coastal and Inland subdivision. The Inland subdivision operates out of 30 stores and the Coastal subdivision currently operates from 19 stores.

"The primary objective of this initiative was to provide a more consistent offering across our store network that could capitalise on focused marketing. We have invested approximately R50 million in rolling out the brand, including store refurbishments and the buy-in from all stakeholders has been most encouraging."

Launch of community programme

The launch of the new national brand coincided with a national community programme and Adopt-a-School was selected as the preferred partner.

The division intends to work with high schools throughout South Africa close to its stores. Learnerships will be sourced through these schools for 2014. In addition, bursaries will be offered to selected students who meet the necessary criteria. They will then be presented with the opportunity to join the division as employees on completing their studies. It also intends to offer students part-time vacation work during busy periods at some stores. This will give students the opportunity to learn about the business and build relationships with staff for possible full-time employment in the future.

As well as providing assistance to the schools, the programme also facilitates the collaboration of various businesses, giving Buco the opportunity to work with its suppliers who also sponsor the programme.