COMPANY PROFILE
2013
HASKINS
Reliable, innovative hardware for Botswana
COMPANY REPORT
Reliable, innovative hardware for Botswana Editorial – Tim Hands Production – Chris Bolderstone
For more than a century now, the family-run business of Haskins has been providing customers throughout Botswana with the very best in machinery, tools and hardware, never straying from its policy of using only the highest-quality materials in its lasting, wide-ranging product portfolio.
With more than 110 years of experience behind its operations, J.Haskins and Sons are perfectly placed to both sell and deliver the very best in building materials, steel, hardware, tools and machinery throughout Botswana. Its products are aimed at the entire populace, be it DIY enthusiasts, builders or contractors, and the company’s emphasis on quality ensures that whatever the situation, it has the tools to get the job done. Now boasting branches in Francistown, Gaborone, Palapye and Kasane, the vast range of its products, from bricks and windows to power tools and camping accessories, is now more widely available than ever, and could surely not have been envisaged when Bristol-born James Haskins arrived at Tati from England in July 1897 and began to build his dynasty. Beginning life in the then Bechuanaland Protectorate,
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fast forward four generations and Haskins now finds itself ingrained in Botswanan life - “as native to the country as Chobe bush-buck and tsamma melon,” as the company itself puts it. Enjoying nearly as widespread a coverage as the aforementioned antelope, and almost as vital to daily life as the native African ancestral variety of watermelon, Haskins today remains a family business providing a comprehensive service to its loyal customer base. The image of the company in its very beginnings depict this family atmosphere perfectly, such as in the scene showing James Haskins and his nephew Tom on a stock taking trip, or equally the original humble store building in 1912, all combining to illustrate just how far the company has grown in its lifetime (for historic images visit www.haskins.co.bw). Among these fascinating images of the family history aspect of the business, it
Haskins
is also interesting to compare the processes behind its operations a comparatively short time ago, and the extent to which these too have been modernised. The evolution of the process of river crossing, today such an easy task to accomplish, illustrates this perfectly, while the cap cart and six mules used all the way up until 1926 again serve as reminders of the sheer scale of development within not only Haskins, but the industry as a whole. While Haskins’ comprehensive range of high quality building materials and hardware products is stocked in its branches across Botswana, this stock is thoughtfully catered to the specific area served by each store. In this way, its patrons are able to save valuable time during each visit by only being offered products and materials which will be suitable to them and the tasks at hand, rather than the traditional experience of having to trawl through a vast array of diverse products, endlessly searching for the
one required, and usually required quickly. As well of the strength of the brand in Botswana, given that it was one of the first companies in the area and has served generations of loyal customers, what also helps to set Haskins apart from the field is the competitive pricing of its high-quality goods, and its insistence on maintaining good levels of stock at all times. This is of course crucial in keeping on board its customer base, and the confidence of the populace in the service it provides. As well as a focus on constantly stocking the appropriate levels of the products with which its customers are now so familiar, Haskins is also very much concerned with, as Gaborone Branch General Manager Andrew Field puts it, “staying ahead of the game and keeping an eye on the market,� often finding niches in the market with this approach to constantly looking at new and improved products.
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COMPANY REPORT Haskins was even able to manage the global economic downturn with impressive aplomb, not merely maintaining its performance but in fact maintaining inflationary growth year-on-year. One of the main aspects in achieving such rare and widely uncommon financial success is Haskins’ insistence on sticking to the high quality materials on which it has built its reputation in the country, when many would, almost inevitably, turn to cheaper products in an attempt to cut costs wherever possible. This, however, is not what Botswana has come to expect from one of its nascent companies, and while these significantly cheaper alternatives are readily available to import, the drop in quality which comes with their usage does not, for Haskins, make them a viable option. There is a vast range of issues and pitfalls that employing these goods can present, and in avoiding the temptation to take this cheaper route Haskins has been able to keep up not only the standard of product that the populace has come to expect, but also the confidence of the consumer so vital to building a lasting dynasty such as this. This is a policy that has paid dividends over the course of these last few trying years, despite initial difficulties when the possibility of low-cost imports began to emerge. “We suffered a bit in the beginning when these cheaper products were emerging but we decided to stick with trusted brands”, explains Field, also highlighting the preferences of its savvy customers; “the market soon realised cheap can also be very expensive and now, consumers would rather buy quality.” This preferential habit of only buying once at a possibly slightly higher cost is particularly true of some of its most common products, as Field explains: “Prime examples of this are galvanised wire products and taps. Inferior wire products are not properly galvanised and cheaper alloys are used in taps so that within two or three months they corrode.” Perhaps equally as important in building a lasting business and supplying customers with the highest quality goods is looking after them if ever things should go wrong, and being prepared to accommodate them in every way possible in order to ensure that their shopping experience keeps them coming back throughout a lifetime. As Field puts it, “When it comes to warranties and returns we are a lot more accommodating than our opposition. We place emphasis on backing up our products because we are focused on long-term business – we are not in it for the quick sale.” With its all-encompassing selection of time highest
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quality products, and an after sales service which sets it apart from its competitors, Haskins teams these with the expertise among its many staff throughout its four stores. Again, this is all part of gaining consumer confidence and therefore building a loyal, contented customer base, with the collective knowledge and experience only serving to create a more satisfying, beneficial experience for those Haskins serves across the country. To this end, employees are trained both through learning on the job - vital to their knowledge of specific tools and their operation - and in the key areas of customer service, supervisory techniques, quotation and quantity surveying, leaving them equipped to deal with any of the various situations presented to them on a daily basis. It is no wonder, then, that Haskins continues to enjoy growth each year, both financially and in its burgeoning customer base. With an ever-growing range of innovative, high-quality products backed up by a dedicated staff compliment and an unfailing policy of warranties and returns to reassure even the most sceptical consumer, for this most Botswanan of companies the future looks set to bring yet more success in a history already swelling with greatness.
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Haskins
In every industry there is a leader
Complete brochures of our extensive range of Doors and Sliding Doors, Windows and Folding Sliding Doors is available on request
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www.soliddoors.co.za E-mail: Info@soliddoors.co.za SEP 13 PAGE 5
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