Founded in 1993, it has four stores in CABA and 54 employees. 19 years ago it began with online sale, today that channel represents 75% of its turnover. In the pandemic he gave the batacazo and doubled his sales. Recognized for their good prices, it sells appliances, pools, furniture, bicycles and faucets. Soon, he launches his own mark.

When buying an online appliance, it is common to compare prices. With low profile, the Argentine brand Uncle Musa batters the large chains of appliances in online sale. The following note ¨Decubre¨ the secret of this company that with just four stores and 54 employees sells to the entire country and faces giants. Founded in 1993, it has been selling online for 19 years, so in Pandemia gave the Batacazo.

The leaders of Uncle Musa are Alberto Chaia and his wife, Sandra Mirner. From the first day, they set out to compete. The first place opened it in Scalabrini Ortiz 397, Villa Crespo. At two years, their Cabildo competitor put a business almost in front of them.

Alberto Chaia, the owner of Uncle Musa, liquidated it: "It was very hard to open a place almost in front, I put three places in the same block and ended up melting. I finally stayed with two stores in the same block, one in front of the other. One sells furniture, tools, pools, mattresses and free time and the opposite sells appliances." Its premises offer: appliances, mattresses, garden furniture, bicycles, baby cars, dishes, cutlery and even faucet.

The chain has four stores to the public, two in Villa Crespo and others in Villa Urquiza and La Paternal. In addition to a tank of 4000 square meters in Caballito that functions as a point of pick up, from there the logistics for merchandise delivery.

A case of anti marketing

Many wonder why he chose that name for an appliance chain. His owner explained it: “My dad was called Moses, and they told Muse. The big people told him, from there he was born. It did not work..

Against all marketing books, Uncle Musa is creating a new path in the world of retail. The secret of success was to have started selling online 19 years ago. “A boy who worked in Mercado Libre one day got out of the car and asked me if I did not encourage me to sell online. I started trying, a few days later a man who lived in Australia bought me a refrigerator to give it to his mother who lived in Lanús. That flew my head and I said that is the way and we started focusing on online sale. This structure allows me to have 54 employees. Internet, ”Tío Musa's owner trust.

GIVE GIANT BATTLE IN A SECTOR WHERE THEY RESIST. "The truth that I did not open more local because I guide myself for sale online. In the city of Buenos Aires, no place was left that is not a chain, the rest all died. The only one that remained is me. This type of business was handled with personal credit and banking and the promos with cards killed them all," he confessed.

Online purchase delivery in 48 hours

Its owner says that the work he did is trench. “We positioned ourselves with very little budget, without doing TV, daily, graphics, which allowed us 80% in AMBA and 20% inside, even though the cost of freight becomes more expensive.

It was one of the precursors of online sale in its segment: "Capital people buy for price and stock. If I can reach the entire country with online sale, I do not need to open more businesses, have to deal with problems with employees," said Alberto Chaia.

Uncle Musa offers all brands, buy locally and imports. He confesses that for now he does not plan to assemble. "Argentina is a very difficult country and I have very large competitors. From the work point of view, tax, it costs a lot. Yes, we are thinking of opening the brand to other countries," he said.

The size of its sale is such that: "I was always the second or third most important seller of the free market in all categories. I am in the Top 10 of Mercado Libre in all the categories in which I participate. Being number one implies a growth that for now, we do not want to do. We have to sustain yourself, we lead the online sales, heating and appliances. We are the most important vendor of appliances."

In the pandemic, Uncle Musa knew how to take advantage of his advantage. "With the pandemic, we were closed days and we started on April 1, we were reheated to sell online, the first four months we exploded, then the rest learned. We doubled sales, we sold double with 30% of the staff because some were risks and could not come. We were at the right time and we were well stopped. I can compete to the big chains because I have a small structure. ”

Several times they tried to buy Musa, but Chaia so far did not sell. "Everyone says it is easy to sell online, but you have to know, there are many hidden expenses, there is a lot of fraud, we have it very chewed. It is a lot of work, I worked many years, many hours. I am thinking what to do, I would like to face new projects. This is like a bicycle, if I brake on a blow I fall," says the owner of Uncle Musa.

Getting good prices is a difficult task. "We are very healthy, we have excellent credit behavior, we are cash buyers. I win little but I have a small structure. We never gave franchises because the profitability of this business is very low. I make purchases through the steel network, one of the largest purchase networks in the country, they compose 90 members of the interior. We make very strong group purchases, larger than those made by the big chains, so we can get very good prices," said Chaia.

They have a bonus system to gather points with purchases. The products that sell the most are televisions, heating, air conditioning, washing machines and ice cream makers. Uncle Muse is at a key moment to define his future.

By Graciela Moreno / Bae Business