The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset Issue 4: Summer 2017 | Page 25

INDIE BUSINESS
55 AMAZING YEARS OF MOSS
2017 marks 55 years since independent television and hi-fi retailer
Moss of Bath opened for business in 1962. It’s the same year that
the current managing director, Tim Moss was born, when his father
Frank Moss decided to take the plunge and set up shop.
Moss of Bath, currently based on St James Parade,
started out as a village shop in Combe Down and
has since evolved into a Bath institution, winning
multiple awards for their commitment to exceptional
customer service and innovative approach to
electrical retail.
We met with Tim to find out more about the
business and how its had to adapt and evolve as
technological innovations have changed the electrical
retail landscape.
vision) Limited. Bit of a mouthful, so we’ve always traded as
Moss of Bath.
What was the first shop like?
It was a small village shop in Combe Down, near the Co-op.
Dad started the business with a £100 loan from Midland
bank. This first shop sold black & white televisions, radios,
music centres, toasters, kettles, irons and every day essentials,
such as batteries and vacuum cleaner bags.
When did you properly become part of
the family business?
When I left school at 16, I wanted to be a cabinet maker. I
went to Bath College and studied carpentry. I worked in the
family shop at weekends and during the holidays. But of
course, like most youngsters, I wanted to buy a car and have
money in my pocket, so I eventually gave up cabinet making
and went to work with my father full time in 1980.
I worked at the Combe Down shop for about five years
where my father taught me how to sell, build relationships
with customers and the fundamentals of running a business.
What is key to good customer service?
It was just my Dad in the shop at first, but business went
well and he went on to open further shops in Midsomer
Norton and Chelsea Road. My grandfather worked in the
Chelsea Road shop, so Moss of Bath has always been very
much a family affair.
The Combe Down shop was really busy, I worked there
from the age of 14 as a ‘Saturday lad’ and loved it. Like me,
Dad genuinely cared for our customers. I’ve always believed
that the customer comes first, it’s not just rhetoric, I genuinely
believe that’s the case.
My father would always trust people. He took cheques
without bankers cards and even had a little notebook where
he offered customers ‘unofficial’ easy payment terms, often
without knowing any more than the person’s first name!
Would you call your Dad a bit
of a maverick?
Definitely! Dad gave his life to the business and had his
fingers in lots of pies, a true entrepreneur. He could never
resist a bargain and was always doing deals. He once bought
a job lot of suede shoes, the ones that looked like Cornish
pasties, and for years and years we all had to wear these
shoes as he couldn’t shift them!
That aside, he was quite visionary. Dad had the foresight
that one day television broadcast would be transmitted in
colour and so he registered the business as F H Moss (colour
Businesses often claim to offer ‘great service’. I believe that
should be the absolute standard and it’s the unexpected
delight and attention to detail that sets us apart. We are
proud to be considered an ‘open resource’ as knowledgeable
as the internet, far more approachable and as technology
becomes ever more sophisticated and complex, we are always
happy to de-mystify, help and advise. I am so proud that
people have been coming to shop with us for many years.
As well as consumers, you also work with
businesses. Who is your typical client?
We work with many hotels and guest houses, offices,
universities, schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, the list goes on.
We supply them with televisions, sound systems, data,
aerials and projectors.
The biggest game changer in our industry was the
introduction of the flat screen TV in the late 1990s. Since
then, all businesses have the requirement for a TV, whether it’s
a dental practice, doctor’s surgery, or office building.
The flat screen TV revolutionised our business. Phillips were
the first manufacturer to release a 42-inch plasma that sold
for £12,500. We wall mounted the screen and then held an
open evening in the shop to showcase the product. Guests
could not believe how thin it was! We sold three televisions
that night, two of them to the same man. He said: “I want
them the same as they are in your shop, with no cables
showing.” So, we went out and got some kit, got a van and
that’s how it all started. We realised that this was the future
and got specialist staff in to manage installations. We were
one of the first in the industry to capture the market. We’ve
now wall mounted many thousands of televisions and our
USP is ensuring that cables are never visible.
I have spoken at conventions to fellow electrical retailers
encouraging them to embrace customer installation. I like to
think that I have been quite innovative in the industry.
At a recent awards ceremony a fellow electrical retailer
approached me and said: “I must thank you. I remember your
talk and the advice that you gave about custom installation
and I have since invested in vans and staff and I believe that
if I’d not done that, my business would have gone under.”
Flat screen televisions have taken the business in so many
new directions. One of which is creating impressive video
walls for exhibitions and shows. We were recently involved in
a project for a Stroud based client The Snow Business, where
we created a video wall in which fake snow appeared to fall
continuously across the eight screens; a product targeted at
top end retailers who want to create snow themed displays in
their Christmas windows.
How do you keep on top of
industry trends?
We monitor the market very closely. Things do change from
quarter to quarter. The current big trends are large screen
televisions, particularly the latest OLED technology, wireless
bluetooth headphones and multi-room music systems.
What’s the future of retail?
Very bright!
Retail and commerce is evolving into a far more flexible,
seamless omnichannel fulfillment model that is critical for
continued success. The future of retail isn’t just about the
internet, despite what the media say. The consumer expects
choice, an experience and great service and that is what we
will be focusing on whilst staying true to our brand identity,
staying connected to the customer and our local community.
If you get the product, service and message right, I think
the future of retail is brilliant.
How are you celebrating 55 years
in business?
We’re hosting a series of events throughout the year, some
are still under wraps, but we’re definitely going to have a big
party in September!
01225 331441
For more info:
www.m ossofbath.co.uk
@mossofbath
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2017
25