Eureka was founded in 1985 by Hendrik Marais.
At that time, he was running a paint & hardware store, and always became disheartened with the thought of having to purchase screws, bolts, nuts & nails from wholesalers in large quantities, and then having the job of weighing them off, re-packaging and individually labelling them for each person that came to buy in the store.
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The task was very time consuming, and used a lot of valuable time the staff could’ve rather spent on selling goods that had bigger purchase values and yielded more profit.
After realizing his staff was spending too much time weighing the fasteners, Hendrik decided to pre-pack a complete range of fasteners in ideal quantities during off-peak times. This enabled his workers to quickly help clients during the store’s busy times.
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It didn’t take long before he realized this concept was exactly what every other handyman out there wanted – a quick, self-help fastener range. Soon enough, other retailers started approaching him, and requested that he pre-pack fasteners for them as well.
And just like that, the Eureka brand was born.
Today, people know Eureka as the orange and brown “bag man” brand, with 2300+ pre-packed products and has representation in over 90% of hardware stores in Southern Africa.
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Fort Knox
As the years rolled on, the Eureka team introduced new brands and products to keep clients coming back for more. In 1993, the Fort Knox brand was birthed.
Fort Knox specializes in a range of quality and affordable padlocks, mortise locks, door handles and keys.
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Like its parent, Fort Knox has seen amazing success too, due to the increasing number of residential developments across Southern Africa. As well as the growing DIY market where people experience great satisfaction when they complete projects by themselves.
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Must Haves
In 2014, after realizing that customers had a habit of forgetting to buy small items which were critical to DIY jobs, the team came up with a strategic range of products every person simply Must Have.
The Must Haves consists of those items such as insulation tape, rope, binding wire, small torches, double sided tape, and batteries.
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Max Durata
Originally part of the Must Haves range, the Max Durata Super Alkaline batteries did so well to a point where they’ve become a brand on their own.
The Max Durata can last up to 6 times longer than Zinc batteries and are mostly ideal for high powered digital devices.
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Lessons We Can Learn??
- Find a need, and make life easier for your customers. They’ll reward you handsomely.
- Increase productivity by reducing time.
- Protect your success by introducing new products.
- Learn everything you can about your business.
