‘Distribution in Europe could be just around the corner’

In February 2005 Supply Direct managing director, John Prout, closed an exclusive distribution deal with Chinese equipment manufacturer, Ever Eternal. Now, as a result of “mass demand” Ever Eternal exports its equipment to the UK at an accelerated rate. Supply Direct’s management team regularly visits China in order to maintain strong relations with the company’s supplier. The most recent visit was in July with product development for the UK market at the top of the agenda. With the company reporting such strong business in the UK, John Prout, hints that expansion into Europe could be the next step.

At a time when some small garages are struggling to keep up with the hi-tech advancements of large dealerships, Supply Direct aims to offer brand new equipment at prices that are “just a touch over second hand.”
“Our marketing team has done an in-depth study of the automotive sector and identified a constant decline in the number of small independent garages. By offering new equipment at such low prices, we intend to bring a balance back to the ratio of small garages to large chains through affordable, high quality equipment,” comments Carl Allenson.
And the result? “Our new range is selling quicker than we imagined! Customers are buying and recommending us to others, simply because they’re getting such a good deal. The demand is so high, we’ve had to open a second warehouse,” says sales and marketing director, Carl Allenson.
There is often an assumption that Chinese equipment means poor quality, but this isn’t the case with Supply Direct’s range, according to Mr Allenson. “We’ve worked alongside Ever Eternal to bring their products up to and above CE standards to satisfy the UK market,” he explained.
Since its formation in November 2004, Supply Direct has grown rapidly and captured what the company describes as “a valuable share” of the garage equipment market. “In a year that has seen various ups and downs for the motor trade, the company has managed to fight through all this, and is proud to be on the verge of celebrating its first birthday with a success story under its belt,” the company reports.
So what’s behind the rapid growth? “Good relations with staff and customers is the key,” says managing director, John Prout. “To think how far we’ve come since last year it really shows what a dedicated team can achieve. All of our staff has been brilliant and I would like all our customers to know that we intend to continue giving you excellent service. If we carry on at this rate, distribution into Europe could just be around the corner.
The sales and marketing team have recently designed the company’s new fully interactive website (www.supplydirectuk.com), which offers on-line buying, procedures on MOT bay installation, downloadable documents, special package prices, regular promotions and regular news articles. Working alongside the new website the company still has its usual regional sales managers backed by its call centre team and a national engineer force.
As well as supplying to consumers, Supply Direct also sells to distributors and wholesale buyers. The company reports that it is always on the look out for new distributors all over the UK and Ireland. Despite the company targeting its new product range specifically at smaller garages, it also supplies premium equipment such as Nussbaum and OMA