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About Eureka DIY Solutions
We have a total solution that manages the supply of fasteners to retailers. Our comprehensive range of fasteners is relevant to the consumer. Our concept is a one-stop shop for general DIY fastener needs. It can easily and quickly be installed in any shop.
English: Eureka was founded by Hendrik Marais in 1985. Hendrik was the owner of a paint and hardware store and he became disheartened with the idea of having to purchase nuts and bolts, screws and nails, from wholesalers in very large quantities and then having to weigh them off, re-package and individually label for each sale. This was a very time consuming exercise and used a lot of valuable selling time for a relatively small purchase value. His store was more focused on selling paint and he quickly realised that his staff was using far too much time weighing off fasteners. He decided to pre-pack a complete range in ideal quantities in off-peak times and so enabled his staff to quickly help customers in busy times. It wasn't long before he realised this concept was exactly what every handyman and woman out there wanted... a quick, self-help fastener range. And of course other retailers saw this and requested Hendrik to pre-pack for them as well and so Eureka was born. Today, Eureka DIY Solutions has over 1 500 pre-packed products and is represented in over 90% of the hardware stores in Southern Africa. Eureka is primarily known as the orange and brown 'bag man' brand. The in-store presentation is characterised by their innovative display stand system where all the products are boldly displayed, readily available and easy to find because they are displayed per category. Being the market leader brought with it the responsibility and need to keep innovating. Eureka’s other very successful brand, Fort Knox, was launched in 1995. This range consists of padlocks, mortise locks (euro profile and lever locks), door handles and keys. Fort Knox has grown from strength to strength and might become ‘bigger’ than Eureka very soon.
Eureka is gestig deur Hendrik Marais in 1985. Hendrik was op daardie stadium die eienaar van ‘n verf en hardeware winkel. Hy was nie gelukkig met die idee dat hy spykers, skroewe, boute en ander hegters in grootmaat moes aankoop en dan vir elke afsonderlike verkope moes afweeg, her-verpak en ‘n prys moes opplak nie. Dit was erg tydrowend vir die klant en verkoopsman vir ‘n relatiewe lae waarde en eenvoudige item. Sy strategie was meer gemik op die verkoop van verf as op hardeware en hy het vinnig besef die manier van hegter verkope was oneffektief. Hy het toe besluit om ‘n hele reeks populêre hegters vooraf te verpak in ideale hoeveelhede en kon sodoende klante vinnig help in besige tye. Dit was nie lank voor hy besef het hierdie konsep is ideaal vir vandag se min tyd/ besige skedule verbruiker nie. Kort voor lank het ander winkels dit raakgesien en vir Hendrik gevra om dieselfde vir hulle te doen – en so het Eureka ontstaan. Vandag het Eureka DIY Solutions oor 1500 vooraf verpakte produkte in bruikbare en praktiese hoeveelhede en word verteenwoordig in omtrent 90% van alle hardeware winkels in Suidelike Afrika. Eureka is bekend vir hulle helder oranje pakkies en word maklik en vinnig in winkels raakgesien. Hulle winkel uitstallings is verbruikersvriendelik met oulike kopstukke wat produk informasie en wenke verskaf. Eureka se ander suksesvolle handelsmerk genaamd Fort Knox is in 1995 geloods. Fort Knox is ‘n reeks hang slotte, deur slotte, handvatsels en sleutels. Fort Knox het die afgelope 3 jaar buitengewone groei getoon en sal moontlik binnekort Eureka verbysteek in terme van grote. An interview with MD (Hendrik Marais)September 2005 Behind every successful man is a fascinating and admirable story, and in the case of Hendrik Marais – businessman and entrepreneur – this is no exception. The man responsible for South Africa’s favorite brands in paint and fasteners– Barney’s and Eureka (the little orange and brown bags we all have in our garages)– is about to realize another dream. In October 2005, Marais will open Forum Homini, a boutique hotel in the heart of The Cradle of Humankind. Marais comes from humble beginnings. Born in Pretoria, his family moved to Harare when his father was a newspaper editor, but it was when the family moved to Zambia to live on a farm that Marais learned to love and appreciate open spaces and the bush. At the age of nine, they settled on a sugar farm in Pongola where Marais’ father lived for the next 40 years. “My father was an excellent farmer – systematic and scientific, while my mother was more finance and music orientated”, recalls Marais. “My father never wanted the biggest farm, just the best, and at the age of eighty, when he sold the farm, many people commented on the fact that they had never seen such a well organized farm.” These principles, it seems, made an everlasting impression on the Hendrik, who to this day, aims to be the best rather than the biggest at whatever he sets his sights on, while his marketing acumen has played a big role in his success. With money in short supply, the young Marais also had the opportunity to put his entrepreneurial nature to the test. Getting his father with lorry to visit neighboring farms, he would buy up all the surplus small pineapples, or ‘orphans’ as he calls them, and sell them on the side of the road. And when it wasn’t orphaned pineapples, it was bottles, encyclopedias or any other commodity that had the potential to sell well. After he matriculated, Marais was awarded a Sanlam bursary to do a BSc mathematics and statistics at TUKS. At the same time, he became involved in creative writing groups, public speaking, art, poetry and theatre. It was here that he met his late wife of 35 years, Fleur, who taught Hendrik French … in between studying for his degree! After he graduated, he moved to Sanlam in Cape Town where he realized that although he could do the actuarial work, it was in the hustle and bustle of the more sales-orientated people-side of the business that his real interest lay. With this in mind, he changed course and embarked on one of the first MBA’s that UCT offered. When he graduated with his MBA at the age of 22, Marais started working for the IDC. “It was excellent training,” he comments, “because we learnt so much about the real workings of business. We’d have to go into big firms and do reviews on everything from marketing to budgets.” Ultimately, it was a civil servants salary that convinced Marais and some friends to buy a furniture factory, which they ran and then sold a few years later. In 1972, at 27 years old, he bought the original Barney’s – a small old–time hardware shop in suburban Brixton After putting a number of ideas to the test, Marais eventually specialized in paint … and the Barney’s as we know it today, was born. “Growing Barney’s”, Marais points out, “was not without its immense challenges.” In 1982, for example, he was forced to cut down to two stores and close down seven. “It taught me a great deal,” he says with a wry smile on his face, “about good systems and franchising for one and humility for another!” So much so, that the business today is again in the process of franchising, but now without Marais. Back then, Marais rebuilt the business based on a system of partnerships or manager owned stores. “Profit sharing and the value of someone owning their own business was immense”, he says. Barney’s metamorphed from a discount outlet to an up market good value-for-money store - offering colour advice painted out special effects, sample pots, etc. Lots of internal training and good systems were adopted in line with the ‘make it good rather than big’ philosophy. However, next to the success with the paint side was the frustration of selling loose ironmongery items to their customers This is how Eureka DIY Solutions was conceptualized and established – a manufacturer and distributor of fasteners; from screws, bolts and nuts, nails, rivets, anchors to padlocks and mortise locks Go into almost any hardware shop in SA today and you are bound to see rows of stands with orange and brown packets filled with these goodies. That was in 1985. During the first ten years, Eureka moved five times in order to accommodate expansion, and even in their large existing building, they have had to expand twice. “We were fortunate to have done the right thing at the right time,“ explains Marais. “It’s logistics, service, incredible attention to detail and volumes. You have to buy and deliver large quantities to make it viable. We provide a full service to our customers spread across the whole of Southern Africa, including Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia and Mozambique – from delivery in our own trucks to supplying custom-made stands. Sales reps visit the stores with their laptops loaded with a detailed history of products sold there, project future requirements and provide them with just enough stock until the next visit. “Staff turnover is low. We have a policy of transparency and inclusivity - and because all management and staff participate in a generous profit sharing scheme everyone considers him/herself a shareholder in the business.” Marais plans to remain the very active Chairman and CEO of Eureka after selling Barney’s to the management team. “I was there for thirty years, and they really deserved a change.” he adds. Marais is keen to spend the “Barney’s time” with Forum Homini. and is very enthusiastic about the challenges and opportunities of the hospitality industry. Besides his own business Marais has always been passionate about developing entrepreneurs. He was on the board of the Small Business Council (SBC), the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC). a founder member of the Sunnyside Group (an NGO aimed at improving the business environment for SMME’s). He was Vice Chairman of the Technikon SA for a long time and Sake Kamer Chairman in 1987 (In 1983 he started and sponsored the Young Entrepreneurs competition which is still being run by Rapport ) His keen interest in education and helping young people lead to Marais being instrumental in kick starting the MBA programme at RAU (now University of Johannesburg) where , he also lectured MCom students, For many years he was a Sunday school teacher and is still active in the church. It was at Sunday school that one of his pupils brought Marais an ancient stone tool – a small gesture that has had some profound affects on his life. “It sparked a long line of fundamental questions,” says Marais, “like who made it, why and how? I started reading as many books as possible on the origins of mankind and delved deeply into evolution, genetics, paleontology, brain research and psychology “ He goes on to explain that it is important for all aspects of his life to work cohesively – his family, church, work, his interests and passions. And so having an in-depth knowledge of all facets is part of how he keeps his life in balance and working harmoniously, especially after losing his wife to cancer a few years ago. As a result, he is addicted to reading widely - about history, business, science, leadership, philosophy, is an avid moviegoer, loves to travel, cook and eat adventurously and appreciates Impressionist and 20th century art. He admits to a particular love of sculpture – evident in the artworks specially commissioned for Forum Homini. His three children and their spouses are all very involved in managing the hotel and Eureka - from marketing to purchasing to finance. “I don’t breathe down their necks and allow them lots of scope - they are all very competent and dedicated. Having everybody on board makes for great fun and many shared interests – a family that can work together, will stay together”, he says. His eight gorgeous grandchildren of course can twist him around any of their little fingers! Asking Marais about the hotel, he reiterates his approach: striving to be the best, not necessarily the biggest. “Forum Homini,” he says, “is more than just a place to sleep and eat.’ He has created a space where people can imagine, almost connect, with the story of the development of humankind. It’s not at all a museum, and without being prescriptive, will give guests a feel about The Cradle and what the natural heritage site represents “The idea of a five star hotel has always been on my list of 1000 things that I’d like to do before I die,” he continues, “and so when the opportunity came up to build a hotel in The Cradle of Humankind – all the pieces seemed to fall into place. Of course, with the upgrade of Sterkfontein and Blue IQ’s futuristic Interpretation Centre opening this year, the timing is perfect.” On life in general, Marais is quick to say that life is not a dress rehearsal, that it’s the real thing. “You are given a set of cards, but how you play them is your own choice,” he says. “I have always been a hawker – at the moment I am a hawker more of ideas rather than screws and paint. – but I am passionate to make sure that this latest initiative works well and fit in cohesively with the rest of my life.” “The vision with Forum Homini is to make the dramatic story of the development of humans accessible, interesting and fun. It’s a story of life, not of fossils, skeletons or skulls. Let’s search for answers to questions like “what happened?, why did we change? survive? became us?”. Forum Homini is not in your face, it’s not a theme park and not a museum. It’s rather a six star think park. It’s a place where you can relax, dine, stay in super luxury and be very near nature, where you can be infused with the story, contemplate, even meditate – and have the opportunity to talk to like minded people. And you know you are exactly at the spot on earth where it all happened!” After an hour with Marais, I have no doubt that this is exactly what will happen – and that Forum Homini will have a positive and lasting influence on all the people who dine or stay or think there.
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