Mica DIY

Morris Mica Hardware, Alcester, UK

Mica DIY Ltd or Mica is the brand name of the voluntary trading group (also referred to as a Symbol group) for independent DIY/hardware retailers in the UK, who work together for group benefit in marketing, buying and retail support. It currently has around 60 members in the UK, including all four nations of the United Kingdom. The majority are in England - forty four, in Wales there are six, there are also six in Scotland, and four in Northern Ireland.

Its headquarters are in Stone, Staffordshire where they have been based since 1996. Unlike other similar groups Mica does not have its own warehousing, instead it works with suppliers who deliver direct and has a relationship with Stax Trade Centre who act as the groups preferred wholesaler.

Mica became a registered co-operative retailer group in 2010. and had previously since its inception been majority owned by its retailer members. Its stated aim is to assist its retailer members to compete with the larger corporate stores. The business is owned & directed by its members, but management run. It is similar to Spar or Nisa in many ways - what they are to grocery stores, Mica is to hardware/DIY stores. It was setup with the assistance of Mica South Africa, a company set up ten years earlier with a similar model.

History

independent DIY retail in the UK has been dramatically squeezed since the arrival of the chain stores, and more recently the online marketplace. September 2014 saw spend the in DIY/Garden category at £69 million for independents, but £700 million for multiples, suggesting a current market share of under 9%.

Mica was set up in the UK in 1995/6 by two former senior members of staff at the BHF (British Hardware Federation). It grew quickly to over 100 retailers in the early 2000's, and in 2008 launched its own warehousing facilities.

The timing for this was unfortunate, as was set up to launch in harmony with the Global banking crisis of 2008. As a result the business fell into administration on the 8th July 2009 and Managing Director at the time Berlinda Barnard stated at the time stated there were many contributing factors to its demise including that "Mica faced some difficulty with certain branded suppliers who, after being encouraged not to supply the Mica Vault, refused to put their products through the distribution facility".

Following the administration Belinda Barnard resigned, and members lead by new interim chairman Jan Nicolson voted to continue with the Mica brand & set up a new company with reduced overheads.. Companies house lists Mica DIY, previously known as Mica UK Management Ltd, as being incorporated in 1999. This holding company was renamed to become Mica DIY at the time of Mica UK Ltd's administration in 2009. New MD Steve Ball worked with members & suppliers to set up the restored group, and in the Autumn its business model was changed by the Board of directors to a co-operative, as Jan Nicolson stepped down as interim chairman and was replaced by his deputy David Morris. The group of now 60 members officially voted to become a co-operative at the March 2010 AGM at which point Steve Ball resigned as MD and was appointed as Company secretary and CEO. The company then worked with co-operatives UK to set up its new co-operative structure and also to successfully secure additional funding from the co-operatives loan fund.

According to company accounts submitted for 2012, the companies current assets were £484,297

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