Heuver reports positive end to 2013

Although Heuver Tyrewholesale experienced a “slow and somewhat difficult start” to 2013, the Netherlands-based wholesaler says it ended the year with a healthy balance sheet. This positive performance was aided by improvements to the company’s website and online shop – Heuver says online turnover again increased compared with recent years. Changes in the Benelux and German markets also benefitted customers by enabling them to place more regular orders for smaller quantities of tyres.

According to company director Bertus Heuver, 2013 will go down as a positive year on Heuver Tyrewholesale’s balance sheet. “We had a difficult start, but this came as no real surprise after the challenges encountered in 2012,” he elaborates. “And because 2012 was so rocky, we cautiously expected a few opportunities in 2013. Although the market was also slow in getting started, we still managed to meet our forecasts. During the past year, our primary focus was to achieve the best possible acquisition prices. Together with effective stocking policy, this helped to create confidence among customers.

“Sales in the market for truck tyres were unpredictable, and led to a massive boost in the final two quarters,” adds Bertus Heuver. “The earthmoving market was very inconsistent, while we managed to score very well in the agricultural sector – in terms of quantity as well as partnerships and OEM deliveries. And we will definitely be using various partnerships to continue this path in the coming years.”

Bertus Heuver says the company has a number of priorities for 2014. “Naturally, we will be attending the major trade fairs. In a sense, this is our ‘duty’ because we have contracts to exclusively import a variety of brands. We will also continue to improve our online services for customers. More and more of them are visiting our web-shop and we certainly do not want to disappoint them. In the coming years, a lot of attention will be given to customer relationships and customer support. This involves clearly identifying contact persons, responding effectively within the organisation and offering suitable training. This is how we intend to make a difference.

“Our mission is to be the most customer-oriented tyre wholesaler. That is our goal and we will try to achieve it each and every day. This foundation should allow us to achieve our target of 15 per cent turnover growth in the next few years,” he concludes.