Hot Tub Retailer Interviews #4 – Chris Brady, 1 Stop Spas Managing Director
Andy Slater- 3 years ago
In the fourth of our Hot Tub Retailer interviews, 1 Stop Spas Managing Director Chris Brady proclaims the benefit of recruiting experienced personnel from the hospitality sector to guarantee top levels of customer service for a new showroom.
Sustaining consistent growth and development with the highest levels of customer service is standard practice for 1 Stop Spas. With former RAF Fast Jet Aeronautical Engineer and respected BISHTA member Chris Brady, who is a Certified Hot Tub Technician™ and a Pool & Hot Tub Alliance™ (PHTA) tutor and his wife Melissa who, like Chris, is a BISHTA Water Hygiene Management specialist, at the helm of 1 Stop Spas the flourishing dealership has been flying high in the wet leisure market and has spread its wings this year with the launch of an additional new showroom.
As part of continuous expansion initiatives, a new Nottinghamshire showroom has been launched to complement the Lincolnshire-based 1 Stop Spas flagship showroom in Sleaford. Along with a ‘pre-owned’ showroom in Billinghay, this showroom trio is ensuring prospective customers have an opportunity to view a wide selection of top quality new and pre-owned hot tubs with professional guidance and product knowledge on the dealership’s main American Whirlpool, Master Spas, and Tuff Spas brands.
After MAAX Spas created the World’s first steel frame ‘Appliance Grade’ hot tubs and the American Whirlpool ‘super brand’ Chris and the 1 Stop Spas team quickly became specialist suppliers of the cutting-edge designs, which include the WhatSpa? Best Buy Award-winning American Whirlpool AW982 model. In 2020 the robust Tuff Spas were introduced to provide customers with reasonably priced and durable options to cope with increasing demands from consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year 1 Stop Spas have also increased the brands and product choice for customers after becoming one of a new band of Master Spas UK dealerships with an ‘exclusive’ outlet for the brand at a new showroom in Nottinghamshire. In time for the busy summer months, 1 Stop Spas has launched a ‘next generation’ Master Spas Nottinghamshire showroom at the East Bridgford Garden & Home site on Fosse Way, just off the A46.
“Master Spas is the perfect addition for us because of its status in the market and such a wide choice of top quality hot tubs and swim spas,” divulged Chris Brady. “We have built up a strong reputation in the market as an American hot tub and swim spa brand specialist and our partnership with Master Spas ensures that trend continues.”
Chris, who has been spearheading the success of specialist training division SpaTech Training within the British wet leisure market, has previously boosted his dealership ranks with former Armed Services personnel. He now believes the Blue Diamond Garden Centre location, which is part of the Guernsey-based Blue Diamond Group, is the perfect location to attract new customers who can now conduct their Master Spas hot tub and swim spa research with the assistance of locally-based staff members who have been recruited from the hospitality sector. They are now complementing existing services that include WhatSpa? Professional Approved expert support from the SpaTech Training division throughout the three award-winning showrooms.
“The hospitality sector has been devasted by the COVID-19 pandemic and it has left many experience people from this sector out of work and seeking new employment in different sectors,” says Chris. “We have been fortunate, though, because we have managed to recruit new team members from the hospitality sector for our new Nottinghamshire showroom.
“Our new locally-based team members now have the benefit of having knowledge of the area where our new showroom is based and where they can travel to fairly easily, as well as having the extra advantage of their extremely high customer service experience from the hospitality sector. They impressed us in the interview process, and we are delighting to now have them onboard to boost our team. We have no worries about their lack of hot tub or swim spa retailing experience as we can provide them with our own dedicated training.
“With our Nottinghamshire showroom being away from our existing Lincolnshire-based headquarters we wanted staff members who we could totally trust to provide top quality customer service. Rather than recruit directly from the wet leisure sector we’ve taken advantage of some of the wealth of talent that has become available from the hospitality sector that has been hit by the pandemic during the past year.
“We’re confident that this decision will pay off because our new recruits can use their customer service experience from their time in the hospitality sector to ensure that first impressions for visitors to our Nottinghamshire showroom are always very positive.”
www.1stopspas.com
