Grouptyre member EG Wholesale opens new West Sussex warehouse

Independent tyre distributor and one of Grouptyre’s 10 member EG Wholesale has opened its new warehouse in Partridge Green, West Sussex. Colin Obbard, operations and logistics manager said, “It has been a long time coming finding a suitable location for an expanding wholesale operation.” Grouptyre states that “continued investment” by members, “such as new warehousing, is one of the primary reasons for the continual growth of the company, who consistently strive to offer more to the retailer.” EG Wholesale is a division of a motor trade group that has petrol stations, convenience stores, property rentals and workshops. The family run business has been in business for over 40 years with a turnover of £48m and 230 members of staff.

Obbard continues: “It is fantastic to be finally operating out of the new warehouse. It is the sort of operation we had dreamt of one day having and looking back over the years it is amazing to see how the business has grown and this is what we had been working so hard to achieve. It has been well worth all the years of hard work operating out of smaller warehouses which were located around Horsham, which was at times a logistical nightmare. Preparations for the new 40,000 sq ft warehouse have been under way for many months. We’re extremely excited by this new warehouse and what it will do for our current operations but also business in the future.”

With thousands of tyres in and out of the doors each day, Phil Jones, head buyer, is delighted with how the new warehouse will have a huge impact on the day to day running of the wholesale operation. “We have in the past been very limited with timings of deliveries and the arrival of containers every week due to our previous warehouse having only a single door. The new operation will enable us to not only have a larger stock holding but to take in deliveries more efficiently and with a quicker turnaround, it will also enable us to have a greater buying power as we can now hold more stock right where we need it.”

Sean Robinson, sales development manager adds, “The new facility has created 25 new jobs and has helped us to increase our delivery fleet. With our new stock holding of 65,000 tyres and our strategically located regional distribution centres in Horsham, Worthing, Bournemouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, Eastbourne, Canterbury and Strood, covering the whole of the South and South East we are able to offer daily or multiple daily deliveries, with a “rapid response” on-demand service in selected areas.”

Andy Mitchell, business development manager adds, “”With 24 delivery vans and a huge stock holding and tyre range of budget, mid-range and premium tyres, we are able to offer our customers frequent same day deliveries. We supply main car dealerships as well as national chains and smaller independent garages. Our Group Tyre exclusive budget brands Rapid and Goodride allow us to develop centres of excellence for our customers.”

Managing director Richard Whittemore commented “We’re extremely proud of what the company has achieved over the last 45 years. We would like to thank all our loyal customers and staff in helping us to achieve this milestone in our objective in offering the best opportunities and services for our new and existing tyre wholesale customers.”