Trade, Wholesale & Discounts: A Different Point of View

There seems to be an expectation in the furniture and interiors industry that designers, decorators and trade professionals should automatically receive preferential pricing.

But why?

It’s something we’ve questioned for a long time, and our position is quite simple: we don’t believe in discounting our products simply because someone operates a business, holds a trade account or intends to purchase on behalf of a client.

We’re an independent, family-operated business. We source, design, make, finish, photograph, market, store, pack and deliver our pieces. There are real people, real costs and an enormous amount of work behind every product we offer.

And like any other business, we need to make a fair and sustainable profit to keep operating.

So why should that profit be shared with someone who hasn’t contributed to the running, growth or overheads of our business?

We understand that trade pricing is an established practice in the industry. We also understand that some suppliers build their entire business model around wholesale and trade relationships. That’s their choice, and we respect it.

But it doesn’t mean every business needs to follow suit.

Fair pricing should be fair for everyone.

Something that has never sat particularly well with us is the idea that one customer should pay more simply because another customer has access to a trade discount.

Our retail customers are just as deserving of fair pricing as anyone else. They work hard for their money, appreciate handmade furniture, and often invest considerable time and thought into finding pieces that will become part of their homes.

Why should they pay a different price for the same product?

We believe in setting a fair price from the outset. A price that reflects the materials, craftsmanship, sourcing, labour, operating costs and the margin needed to sustain our business.

Not an inflated retail price designed to accommodate a discount for someone else.

The expectation of a discount.

There’s also something to be said about the expectation itself.

Running a business doesn’t automatically entitle someone to another business’s margins. Being a designer, decorator, stylist or retailer doesn’t mean a supplier is obligated to provide a financial benefit.

We don’t expect our accountant, electrician, photographer or other independent service providers to reduce their fees simply because we operate a business ourselves.

We pay for their expertise, time and services. It’s a professional exchange.

We believe the same principle should apply here.

A purchase is a purchase. Whether it’s made by a homeowner, an interior designer or a business purchasing for a client, the product, the work involved and the costs associated with it remain the same.

The bigger picture: independent businesses need to survive.

We’re not a large corporation with enormous purchasing power, multiple revenue streams or the ability to absorb reduced margins across thousands of transactions.

We’re a small, independent business - every margin matters.

Behind the scenes are years of building relationships, sourcing materials, designing our own collection, experimenting with different finishes, manufacturing lamps and creating original artworks, developing products, managing logistics, dealing with suppliers, investing in stock and taking financial risks.

Those things don’t disappear because someone wants a trade discount.

And whilst a discount might seem relatively insignificant on an individual purchase, those reductions accumulate. Eventually, the very businesses creating the products, taking the risks and doing the work are expected to operate on increasingly smaller margins.

That isn’t a business model we’re interested in sustaining.

Our position at Impreshens.

We don’t offer trade pricing, wholesale arrangements, designer discounts or preferential purchasing rates.

Our prices are our prices. The same for everyone.

We don’t believe in charging one customer more to accommodate another customer’s discount. We don’t believe in inflating prices to make a discount look attractive, and we don’t believe that a professional title should automatically come with a financial entitlement.

We’d much rather build our business around customers who appreciate what we do, value the work behind our pieces and understand that fair pricing benefits everyone involved.

This isn’t about excluding an industry or diminishing the work that designers and decorators do. There are plenty of talented professionals whose work we admire.

It’s simply about establishing boundaries around our own business and deciding what makes sense for us.

Fair prices. Equal treatment. Sustainable margins.

It’s not complicated, and it’s certainly not something we feel the need to apologise for.

A perspective from both sides of the industry.

Perhaps it’s worth mentioning that I’m not speaking about this industry as an outsider.

I’m an interior designer myself and I also manage renovation and interior projects. I understand the time, planning, coordination, sourcing and work involved in bringing a space together. I understand that there’s a service to provide, expertise to offer and a business to run.

When I take on a project, I charge my clients a fair service fee from the outset. My time, knowledge, design input and project management are accounted for in that fee.

I don’t build my business model around approaching other independent businesses, negotiating discounts on their products and quietly retaining the difference as an additional margin.

If I’m sourcing furniture, lighting, materials or homewares for a client’s project, I expect to pay the same fair price as any other customer. If there’s a saving available, I believe that saving should rightfully belong to the client, not become an undisclosed opportunity to increase my own earnings.

The same applies to the renovation and interior projects we manage. There’s an enormous amount of work behind coordinating trades, sourcing materials, scheduling deliveries, resolving problems and keeping projects moving. We account for that work through our own fees and project costs, rather than expecting the businesses and tradespeople we engage to subsidise our margins.

Of course, every business is entitled to structure its pricing and commercial arrangements however it sees fit. But personally, I believe in being transparent about what I charge for my own services and allowing other businesses to do the same.

I wouldn’t expect another business to compromise its margins to make my business more profitable. Why would I expect anything different from them?

We should all be able to make a fair living from the work we do, without needing someone else’s margins to make our own business model work.