Europlas expands operations in South Wales

Europlas South Wales Trade CounterWhile the last 12 months have been unrecognisable in terms of normality, trade expert Europlas PVCU LTD has forged ahead with its expansion plans. In November 2020, Europlas announced the opening of its latest window and door trade counter in Caerphilly, South Wales.

We spoke with Europlas’ Managing Director Simon Lomax and Gavin Burton, National Operations Manager, about the new facility and how this opening differed from all those that came before.

COVID-safe set up

Opening a new branch typically involves more than simply stocking the products you want to sell and throwing open the doors to customers. There’s a range of tradespeople who typically help to retrofit premises to get them ready – but because of COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines (along with lockdowns), the set-up for the Caerphilly branch was very different from the norm.

Simon explains: “When we get ready to open a new branch, we have everyone from decorators and electricians to joiners in to sort everything out. Additionally, we usually have team members from other Europlas locations volunteer to help out – but in Caerphilly, this was simply not able to happen.

“It was important for the safety of everyone involved for us to adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines. To ensure that we kept everyone safe, we did the majority of the work, including joinery, ourselves. The Caerphilly team consisted of three core members – whilst Gavin and I stepped in where possible.”

Managing stock

Once the building was ready, stocking the branch with products was also very different from the usual plan. Gavin describes the difference in Caerphilly:

“In normal circumstances, we’d order all the stock we’d like to have for our opening well ahead of time, but because of the uncertainty of the nation during numerous lockdowns and economic instability we scaled back our orders to manage risk.

“Instead of stocking the new trade counter full to bursting, we’ve slowly increased the stock each month. The placement of two other nearby Europlas trade counters allows us to ‘trunk’ between these locations when Caerphilly doesn’t have a specific product a customer wants.

“This allows us to be flexible with stock whilst providing the highest customer service – something we’ve always been known for.”

Perfect placementInternal image of Europlas in Caerphilly

Many may wonder why Europlas would choose Caerphilly for its newest trade counter instead of the more highly populated Cardiff – and for Simon the answer is simple:

“Whilst some companies choose to be located in big cities like Cardiff, that just isn’t the Europlas way. We prefer dealing with smaller customers to large accounts; the face-to-face personal touch is what we’re known for. This strategy allows us to build long-lasting relationships with our repeat customers and reinforces our reputation throughout the industry with the types of customers we want in our branches.

“Historically, we’ve always been strategic with our branch locations, and Caerphilly was no different. We didn’t want to be located within the capital – but Caerphilly’s close proximity still allows customers working in Cardiff to access one of our branches. This trade counter’s placement allows us to reach the customers we’re aiming for, without competing with the national trade counters – or paying the overheads for a capital location,” Simon continues.

“Additionally, Caerphilly completes a triangle of branches around our R & V Manufacturing Group Tredegar factory. The placement of these trade counters allows us to interchange stock (‘trunking’) between branches, fulfilling customer orders without keeping lots of stock in all locations.”

Caerphilly’s first six months

“Like all our branches, Caerphilly stocks Liniar’s building and outdoor product ranges and sells the same brands as the rest of our trade counters. So far, in terms of forecasting, Caerphilly has beaten targets each month,” says Simon.

“This performance has allowed us to increase the products we’re stocking each month. In April, we added the Liniar roof range and we’ll continue to add products within the Caerphilly trade counter as uncertainty dissipates.”

Liniar banner of building products at a Caerphilly Europlas trade counterWhy Liniar?

Europlas has been a Liniar customer since 2015, as part of the Rooms and Views Manufacturing Group. The industry-leading systems company has become ingrained in the very fabric of Europlas, with logos across all its branches and literature and Europlas continuing to add more of Liniar’s ever-increasing product range.

“It was an easy choice to stock Liniar’s high-quality building products to complement the range of windows and doors – and since then, it’s become a customer favourite!” confirms Gavin.

Discover Europlas’ full product range and the locations of its trade counters at www.europlaspvcu.co.uk.

 

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