Mole Valley Farmers

[JP1]

At the next AGM ask how much bagged cattle grub the average MVF store sold last month. I bet it was fudge all. It costs money to bag, transport and store a product which ultimately goes off remarkably quickly and the margins on it are slim. Ultimately they need to stock stuff which sells. It isnt a lending library.

£10.50 a bag for Multimix , they're certainly not a lending library

So to follow your analogy, scrap bagged feeds, look at the demographic and Sussex gets more Crew Men's shirts at £69.99?

Sounds like they're getting a bit far away from their roots then. If that is the case , just let me know and I will find an alternative

 

[Henarar]

At the next AGM ask how much bagged cattle grub the average MVF store sold last month. I bet it was fudge all. It costs money to bag, transport and store a product which ultimately goes off remarkably quickly and the margins on it are slim. Ultimately they need to stock stuff which sells. It isnt a lending library.

Best go elsewhere and get cheaper and better quality

 

[Roy_H]

I know it's been said before but is Mole Farmers struggling? Been into the Worksop branch today and a good few shelfs were bare or low on stock. Very little staff to normal and they all seemed demoralised.

Maybe the staff need more 'Experiance'

 

[ollie989898]

£10.50 a bag for Multimix , they're certainly not a lending library

So to follow your analogy, scrap bagged feeds, look at the demographic and Sussex gets more Crew Men's shirts at £69.99?

Sounds like they're getting a bit far away from their roots then. If that is the case , just let me know and I will find an alternative

A bit far from their roots. You mean having like two dozen stores nationwide and selling posh wellies is a bad business plan in the current climate?

In case people have not noticed straights are now mind boggling expensive, who wants a load of cake sat in bags going mouldy?

 

[JP1]

A bit far from their roots. You mean having like two dozen stores nationwide and selling posh wellies is a bad business plan in the current climate?

In case people have not noticed straights are now mind boggling expensive, who wants a load of cake sat in bags going mouldy?

Nobody of course . What a waste of money marketing these things along with lambing consumables etc

Internet your friend and find a proper feed mill

Agreed . Thread can close

 

[General-Lee]

Nobody of course . What a waste of money marketing these things along with lambing consumables etc

Internet your friend and find a proper feed mill

Agreed . Thread can close

You won’t get odd bags from a feedmill tho they won’t be asked!

 

[matthew]

You won’t get odd bags from a feedmill tho they won’t be asked!

That depends on the mill.
Our feed supplier does bulk, home mix, 600kg tote bags...... and



Surprise, surprise 20kg bags of stuff too. They just don’t package more than they can sell. If you phone ahead, it’s bagged ready for you.

Back to the jolly green giant: I ordered special mix Minerals a week or ago. We have bagged in winter to tip into silage, and molassed tubs in summer when cattle are out at grass. The summer order rocked up today. Bags.

OH has just gone out on the night shift to unload a lorry and drag of fertiliser which should have been here hours ago. Not a happy chappy.


And two friends have had trouble buying small bags of 20 10 10, and both fobbed off with 15 10 10, with staff telling them ‘it’s the same’.

Nobody mentioned that if they joined MVF as basic members, and got a paper trail Membership number (no cost, but no credit and no discounts) they could buy what they liked.

One friend, having relieved us of the 20 10 10, she wanted, returned the other bags only to be told ‘you didn’t buy it here, we don’t stock it’. This despite a printed ticket. The yard lad said the same, until friend took his hand and led him to pallet of the stuff.

The staff had had retraining, I was told.

Perhaps they didn’t listen.

 

[Lazy Eric]

The problem with Mole valley is the staff haven’t a clue what they are retailing, unless its equine stuff! Maybe a bit of s sweeping statement but our nearest store is hopeless. We buy our bits from Carrs Billington and the difference is night and day!! All the Carrs staff are very knowledgable about 99% of the products they sell. I went into Mole and asked for electrolytes for calves, the assistant led me to the heat lamps.[emoji20]

 

[General-Lee]

Said it on here before and perhaps it was ‘Saturday staff’ been to Mole Valley to buy wood and they (out in the stores) don’t know their bum from their elbow!

Use Mole Avon almost daily for work and Fry and son for timber etc. Mole Valley fairly useless I’m afraid.

 

[matthew]

The problem with Mole valley is the staff haven’t a clue what they are retailing, unless its equine stuff! Maybe a bit of s sweeping statement but our nearest store is hopeless. We buy our bits from Carrs Billington and the difference is night and day!! All the Carrs staff are very knowledgable about 99% of the products they sell. I went into Mole and asked for electrolytes for calves, the assistant led me to the heat lamps.[emoji20]

That’s on a par with Four candles / Fork ‘Andles.
Love it.

 

[gone up the hill]

Mole valley sell hundreds of tonnes of cattle/sheep feed from branches every month @ollie989898

Ref the Fert, the rules have been tightened up, unless you are an account holder they are now not allowed to sell anyone fert with a N content over 15%

They are now also not delivering fert from branches, you have to collect it yourself.

 

[honeyend]

At the next AGM ask how much bagged cattle grub the average MVF store sold last month. I bet it was fudge all. It costs money to bag, transport and store a product which ultimately goes off remarkably quickly and the margins on it are slim. Ultimately they need to stock stuff which sells. It isnt a lending library.

Haven't you heard of the term, its a sprat to a catch a mackerel?
There is very little mark up on any animal feed, so your largest profit margin, usually over 50% is on the smart wellies, that's why they sell them, and plenty of other stuff. The reason some feed companies sell smallholder ranges is that they have realised that they can add a huge mark up if they put a pretty picture on the front.
By not stocking bag feeds they lose the opportunity to get regular sales, and footfall, and the chance of selling items with a higher profit margin. I think that in the age of 'just in time', ordering it is not beyond their capabilities to sell their own ranges in bags, after all they sell there own horse feed, and would be mixed probably in the same place. The pricing should be worked out to cost in wastage. If I sell a burger, I have worked out my overheads and my likely wastage. If I am smart I have worked out wastage from previous sales and make sure there is little as possible.
There are a few companies that sell bagged farm feeds, Heygates, Duffields are near me, and the small stores that sell they usually do a competitive price. I was just near a MV and thought wrongly they may have some in stock or have a better range. But I did by a bird feeder and some bird food, so they could of made a £1 profit on those to items. I will stick to the internet.

 

[ollie989898]

Yes im sure thousands of tonnes of cattle and sheep feed are moved through MV stores each month....

 

[Pasty]

Haven't you heard of the term, its a sprat to a catch a mackerel?
There is very little mark up on any animal feed, so your largest profit margin, usually over 50% is on the smart wellies, that's why they sell them, and plenty of other stuff. The reason some feed companies sell smallholder ranges is that they have realised that they can add a huge mark up if they put a pretty picture on the front.
By not stocking bag feeds they lose the opportunity to get regular sales, and footfall, and the chance of selling items with a higher profit margin. I think that in the age of 'just in time', ordering it is not beyond their capabilities to sell their own ranges in bags, after all they sell there own horse feed, and would be mixed probably in the same place. The pricing should be worked out to cost in wastage. If I sell a burger, I have worked out my overheads and my likely wastage. If I am smart I have worked out wastage from previous sales and make sure there is little as possible.
There are a few companies that sell bagged farm feeds, Heygates, Duffields are near me, and the small stores that sell they usually do a competitive price. I was just near a MV and thought wrongly they may have some in stock or have a better range. But I did by a bird feeder and some bird food, so they could of made a £1 profit on those to items. I will stick to the internet.

I would agree with that. I buy a decent qty of feed in 20kg bags and I'm sure the markup is not great but while I'm there I might buy a chainsaw or some leggings or dog food or whatever the hell. If they don't do the 20kg bags, I won't be going there, I'll be on eBay or Amazon for those other bits.