Stax Trade Centres

A campaign built for progress, not just promotion

The Challenge

Stax Trade Centres is one of the UK’s largest non-food cash and carry wholesalers, supplying independent retailers and trade professionals across multiple sectors — including DIY, hardware, gardening, electrical, plumbing, decorating, and homeware.

With the launch of its new website, Stax needed more than a digital upgrade, it needed a campaign that would bring the platform to life. The activation had to showcase the site’s new features and functionality while signalling a modern, forward-looking business that continues to value the loyal customer base it was built on.

The challenge lay in balancing evolution with familiarity: presenting Stax as a progressive, digitally capable wholesaler without losing the personal, service-driven reputation that customers trust.

The campaign also had to speak fluently to both retail and trade audiences, bridging the gap between traditional cash-and-carry buying habits and the growing demand for seamless online experiences.

Ultimately, this activation needed to do more than announce a new website — it had to create a clear, confident platform to drive business growth both online and in branch, uniting customers under one refreshed, future-ready Stax brand.

The Approach

Our approach centred on bringing the new Stax experience to life — translating the website’s improved functionality and modern design into a campaign that engaged both existing customers and new audiences.

We positioned the launch not as a digital overhaul, but as a natural evolution of the Stax brand — one that champions progress while staying true to the values that have made it trusted for over 40 years.

The campaign needed the ‘big idea’, an anchor that had a clear and compelling proposition that not only celebrated the digital progression but amplified the experience of an incredibly loyal and long-standing customer base.

Stax. Better.

The concept was a visual embodiment of what ‘better’ truly means. Our ‘X’ device became a powerful framing tool, symbolising the evolution and the Stax proposition. We also saw a unique opportunity to bring our campaign narrative to life through the people who matter most – creating a collective of characters to keep the customer and their experience front and centre.

Collectively, the visual language represents a seamless connection between Stax, the customer and the digital journey – harmonious trio moving forward together.

Through a carefully integrated mix of email marketing, trade press, social media, in-branch materials, and digital content, the activation campaign highlighted the site’s enhanced tools, faster journeys, and easier ordering — all framed within the context of how these innovations help Stax customers work smarter, not differently.

Messaging was crafted to speak directly to both retailers and trade professionals, celebrating the convenience of digital while reinforcing the reassurance of in-person expertise. Every touchpoint was designed to make customers feel that Stax was evolving with them, not away from them.

The result was a cohesive, forward-looking campaign that didn’t just launch a website — it reaffirmed Stax’s position as a modern, customer-first partner, ready to support the trade on every channel, online and off.

The Results

The activation successfully repositioned Stax as a modern, customer-first business — one that’s evolving with its audience, not away from it.

By capturing real customers in-branch, the campaign reflected the genuine spirit of the independent retailers and tradespeople who form the backbone of the Stax community. The result was a campaign that felt authentic, grounded, and true to the brand’s roots.

Visually, the introduction of a more vibrant, contemporary colour palette gave Stax a refreshed energy that works seamlessly across digital and print, while updated tone of voice brought greater warmth, confidence, and accessibility to all communications.

Together, these changes created a unified brand experience — one that modernised Stax’s image, deepened engagement, and reinforced its reputation as a trusted, forward-looking partner to the trade.