Elite Direct.Com Limited – Providing a Better Customer Experience

Elite has gone out of its to make the purchasing of wheels a pleasant experience. At its conveniently located 20,000 sq. ft premises on the A1306 near Rainham and Dagenham in Essex, the company not only has a large and well-appointed showroom open to the public, but also a waiting area complete with a café serving hot food and drinks – so waiting for a new set of wheels need not be a tedious event. And while the customer enjoys some refreshment their vehicle is seen to in one of Elite’s 19 fully operational service bays.

The large and modern facility Elite operates today is far removed from the company’s humble beginnings, when partners Steve Eldridge and Sean Soyka opened for business in 1987, operating out of a cramped former car showroom in Hornchurch, just a couple of miles from the company’s present position. Today the company specialises in wheels and tyres for passenger cars, 4×4 vehicles and light commercials, but also stocks exhausts, shock absorbers, suspension kits, and brakes amongst other items.

According to Steve Eldridge, Elite’s managing director, the company currently deals with about 10 major wheel producers and 20 tyre manufacturers, including major brands as well as several second-tier and some budget options. “Because of the nature of our business – we tend to specialise in the high performance sector of the automotive aftermarket – therefore it is important that we supply products of the highest quality,” he comments. “The importance we at Elite place on customer service cannot be overstated – it is the lifeblood of our business.”

So how does Steve Eldridge view the current state of the global alloy wheel business? “The wheel industry, especially in Italy, if not in crisis is experiencing serious problems, which have mainly been created by the rapid development of wheel manufacturing in China. Perhaps the Italian producers have been slow to recognise the dangers, but certainly, in my estimation, something has to be done and relatively quickly in order to redress the situation. This said, I personally endeavour, as much as possible, to be loyal. Antera, RVS and AR Casting to name a few have always been very important to Elite and continue to be dynamic in terms of eminence and innovative design.”

Eldridge adds: “Wheel buying from Asia still has to be approached with a degree of caution; I employ professional agents who are renowned experts in wheel technology and it is the primary function of their job to make sure all wheels recommended are thoroughly tried and tested over a sufficiently long period of time. Even so, I will only accept wheels that are manufactured to the highest possible standards. At Elite we are dealing with peoples’ lives so the product has to be totally safe.”

And what about the direction Elite is taking? Steve Eldridge believes that the company’s wheel portfolio is “about right” and expresses confidence that they can supply even the most discerning trade or retail customer direct from stock. “Last year we sold over 30,000 wheel units and this number, judging by our firstly quarterly results for this year, will be easily surpassed come December. It is a similar picture with tyres, where last year’s turnover was in excess of 70,000 units. Some forty percent of our business volume is now trade and this figure is rising annually.”

As well as tyres and wheels, Elite markets an extensive selection of Remus brand exhaust products, including the new ‘Power Sound’ system. Available for various types of vehicle, with interchangeable tail pipes and a valve control that allows the power and sound to be easily adjusted, the ‘Power Sound’ fascinates not only in appearance but also in acoustics. A full range of major brand lowering springs, suspension kits, brakes and shock absorbers is also held in stock

Unashamedly forthright, Steve Eldridge is a strong believer in expressing what is important to him. “At Elite we are here to provide a professional service to the motoring public and our trade customers, I therefore require my staff to be fully proficient and adept in terms of skills and attitude.” And while he is proud of the products he sells, Eldridge adds that he would “still rather sell a tyre manufactured in Britain by a British company, but that nowadays is unfortunately almost impossible.”

And what about the future? For Steve Eldridge the key to continued success appears straightforward: “At Elite it is important that our business does not become cluttered and bogged down with strategy, hence the necessity to always maintain uncomplicated and functional methods of trading. I am passionate about my business – I want it to be the best with a simplistic streetwise common sense and disciplined approach from staff and management.”