With this new shop, the hardware chain has now five Sabio shops including those at A Coruña, Ourense and Zafra. In the next few weeks, new sale points will be added in several towns.
Langreo, 10 June 2021.- The “El Sabio” hardware chain is opening its first shop in Asturias, in the municipality of Langreo, as part of its ambitious nationwide expansion process that includes the opening of over 20 shops this year. After Extremadura, Asturias has been the region selected by the Galician company to continue growing outside Galicia with the opening of El Sabio Roces Belón. The shop will be managed by a young couple, Noel Roces and Vanesa Belón, two professionals who have embarked on this project with great enthusiasm.
The family business is located in the parish of Lada, barely two kilometres away from Langreo, and boasts an exhibition space of 180 m2 (as well as a 200 m2 warehouse) and will provide customers with a very innovative concept and aesthetics – the distinctive hallmark of El Sabio- to adapt to the new trends while remaining true to the essence of traditional ironmongers.
“We solve problems”
“We are the only shop of this type in the area, and we provide a much wider range of products than a regular ironmongery as it includes forestry and gardening machinery” explains Noel, who abandoned the business of industrial machinery to specialize in the hardware industry.
Vanesa, on her part, has been behind the counter for over five years and explains that they opted for the El Sabio because “there is nothing like that in the sector, its image is not that of the typical ironmongery and this really caught our attention from the beginning. It resonates with us because it is not more of the same”.
She also underscores the importance of proximity as a plus that needs to be emphasized because it is an added value. “There are four of us at the ironmongery and we work not just to sell but to advise custometrs on their purchases”.
Both Noel and Vanesa have no doubt that the future depends on pampering customers. “We get very involved with them, in this area there are many elderly people and providing advice on an individual basis is extremely important. We may as well sell or adjust a tap or give some advice on how to install a blind. We solve problems” they tell us.
Nationwide expansion process
“El Sabio” began to operate in 2020 amidst the Covid-19 crisis with its first physical shops in Galicia, two in A Coruña and one in the city of Ourense, where they opened their second shop last 31 May. They also have a shop in Extremadura, El Sabio Ferrex, which opened last 17 May.
De este modo, la incorporación de El Sabio Roces Belón se convierte en el quinto negocio que se promueve bajo este paraguas de marca en toda España. The operation is part of an innovative business strategy led by the Galician group Internaco that seeks to strengthen the business of traditional ironmongers by transforming these business outlets into new purchasing experiences and establishing a solid network of locally focused shops that are prepared to compete unashamedly in the 21st century market which is characterized by the depersonalization of great transnational companies.
In the next few weeks, new El Sabio shops will be opened in Valdivia (Badajoz), La Puebla de Almoradiel (Toledo) and Getafe (Madrid). While the expansion process of brick-and-mortar shops is under way, El Sabio provides its customers with all the expertise of local ironmongers through its website: www.elsabio.eu
Helping the consumer: guidance and customisation
El Sabio” was conceived to provide answers to both consumers and local ironmongers by supporting them in the process of transforming their own business so that small companies – and with them consumers – may never walk alone, especially at such hard times as we are living now.
Guidance, personalised service, and advice are the hallmark of the brand, but, first and foremost, a firm commitment to the local as opposed to the global. “El sabio” wants to become the antithesis of depersonalization. “Today consumers feel lost either because they are unable to find what they are looking for or because they quite don’t know what they need, or it is hard for them to understand how to use the product correctly” a spokesperson for the company explains. The company stands out for providing a different buying, omnichannel experience with its own brands: Orework for non-powered tools and Kuril for powered tools, as well as other leading brands.
About “El Sabio”
The “El Sabio” project is part of the Internaco Group, a Galician company that is a leader in the forestry and gardening sectors and that is present in over 50 countries. In line with its diversification and growth strategy, it has fully entered the wholesale trade in ironmongery.
Internaco has developed this new brand to provide local ironmongers with all necessary resources (at the level of product, brand image and technology) so that they may open or transform their shops with comprehensive backing and advising while remaining true to their identities.
