Carl Smithers, Director of Operations at NOVA Outdoor Living, talks about the opening of its new NOVA Experience Centre.
Garden furniture wholesaler NOVA Outdoor Living recently invited Big Furniture Group’s editor to visit its new NOVA Experience Centre after the business concluded a significant rebrand journey. Around 18 months ago, NOVA, part of the 036 parent group which also houses White Stores, the business embarked on a transformative rebrand, aiming to stand alone and form its own identity.
As part of this rebranding, the company also invested in a new physical space that has now become the heart and soul of NOVA, while offering a mind-blowing view that most showrooms would be envious of. However, before we share a bit more into that, Carl Smithers, Director of Operations at NOVA Outdoor Living – and tour guide for the day, explained why the rebrand was important.
“We acquired the brand six to seven years ago, but through Covid, we wanted to really define our offer and identity, so we decided to go on this marketing journey. We knew we wanted to break away from the NOVA / White Stores stigma to allow our brand to stand on its own.
“In doing so, it made sense to do a whole new product range and rebrand at the same time. We don’t want to forget the past as our history has got us to this point, but at the same time, we want to look forward and concentrate on that.
“We have a whole new team and feeling, new energy and excitement and it’s been a fantastic journey so far bringing it all together. It’s been a real team effort.”
In fact, Carl often praised the wider team in their involvement in everything, from initial rebranding brainstorms, to painting the walls of the new showroom. Katie Blake, Customer Relations Coordinator, echoed this sentiment and shared a full presentation about NOVA, its journey and how important relationships are for the business with its customers.
As the brand formed its new identity, a new hub was needed to showcase its personality, products and perception of where the outdoor furniture market sits. Back in January this year, NOVA invested over £1m into its 44,000sqft NOVA Experience Centre, just outside Royston and 25 minutes from its distribution centre, which has undergone a complete refurbishment. From the flooring to the lighting, the showroom feels premium and is presented elegantly.
“The work on the NOVA Experience Centre took around five months to complete,” says Carl. “It officially opened on 3 June 2024 and has been a big investment for us. We wanted to bring the Far East culture into the experience and I feel we have done this. The show-stopper though, is our balcony, which offers a complete view of the showroom, room sets we have designed and all of our products. It’s something we want our customers to experience first hand and we feel it really has that wow-factor impact.”
Carl’s not wrong. Leading the way up the stairs, you walk out onto a spacious balcony that overlooks the entire showroom. It’s very impressive and as Carl says, something you have to go and see – no spoilers here! After taking in the view, the showroom serves up plenty of product and holds over 200 sets and 40 ranges. Walking through, Carl detailed current projects, trending designs and tributes to its key suppliers, some of which have been working with the brand since the beginning. “It’s all about relationships,” Carl said.
“Building relationships with suppliers and customers is key for NOVA. We wanted to show this off even further by giving some recognition to our suppliers on the walls of the showroom so our customers can see and feel this connection.
“The products on show offer something for everyone too. High dining is trending at the moment, and there seems to be a bit of toing and froing between mixed materials or rope. We are playing around with designs on both to see where they go and we’ve created some fantastic products so far. I personally think mixed materials is the way forward. Every product is designed to maximise comfort and we are constantly evolving in development and design.
“Our pergolas also do very well for us and we’ve recently developed a BBQ Titan pergola, which I actually created and it sold out within three weeks!”
Carl added that business so far this year has been “tracking at forecast”, while the NOVA Experience Centre has proved to be hit with customers since launching. “We’ve been booked up every day since we opened. It’s been really positive and people have been very shocked – in a good way! It’s quite a substantial place when you walk into it. When you see this, it’s like a big ‘wow’ moment but then they realise there is much more to the other half as well. I think it’s been really good.
“The balcony also offers something truly amazing and we call it the ‘money shot’ as we love seeing the reaction of our customers when they come in. We have purposely avoided sharing images so it creates that anticipation of customers when they visit us here.” – Told you, no spoilers here!
The NOVA Experience Centre is already prepared for the future too, with two additional spaces to be used for future product categories. Remaining tight-lipped for now, Carl did reveal that NOVA plans to do much more in accessories, so watch this space! As the tour came to an end, Carl reaffirmed the importance of the NOVA team.
“It’s been a real hands-on effort that everyone contributed towards, which is nice because we can all look around and say we did that together. The rebrand has been brilliant and the team have been instrumental in this. The product ranges, sheer size of our offer and the Experience Centre is a game-changer in our sector. We look forward to welcoming more visitors, so come and see us.”
Meet the Team
Carl Smithers – Operations Director
With a long history of running businesses, Carl oversees all of NOVA’s operations and strategies. Carl’s focus is on developing & setting NOVA apart and offering their customers genuine benefits.
Ian Read – Sales Director
As NOVA’s first employee in 2018, Ian has seen the evolution of NOVA first-hand. In the role of Sales Director, Ian communicates with customers on a daily basis, building strong business relationships with NOVA’s customers.
Katie Blake – Customer Relations Coordinator
Having grown up around garden furniture, Katie had a huge role in the launch of the NOVA Experience Centre and now spends her time ensuring NOVA fosters great relationships with customers.
Darcey Hill – Operations Assistant
Having joined NOVA in 2023, Darcey works closely with Carl to oversee the day-to-day operations of NOVA and manages projects such as the launch of the NOVA Experience Centre.
David Shenton – Buying Administrator
With a wealth of experience in the garden furniture industry, David joined NOVA in 2022. David’s days are spent assisting with the development of hundreds of new product collections.
