Vans Direct: Dealer Spotlight

Vansdirect are the UK's largest independent new van retailer. The company was founded by Carl Platel in 1997 when he set up the business within his house using just £2000!

Six years later in January 2003 and now with forty-four members of staff, Vansdirect opened its doors in its current location in Coed Ely in Wales, and since the opening of the new premises, Vansdirect have gone from strength to strength swelling in size from 44 to over 120 staff turning over £100 million and selling over 10,000 vehicles a year.

The sole aim of Vansdirect is to supply customers with the right van for the job at the most competitive price, as quickly and efficiently as possible, within the time scales stated.

Vansunited.co.uk conducted an in-depth interview with Sales Director, Glen Newman, to discuss the reasons behind the continuing success of Vansdirect:

How does your product and market knowledge on commercial vehicles influence what vehicles you sell?

It plays a huge part. We've always said "stock drives sales", and our experience and understanding of customer requirements enables us to order the right stock well in advance. Our relationships with the manufacturers are an important factor too, it is costly and inefficient to have stock sat in compounds and at any given time we.ve got approximately 2000 vehicles in stock, ready to go. We've got to get it right!

Which van is your best seller of 2007?

The Fiat Ducato range and the Renault Traffic/Vauxhall Vivaro/Nissan Primastar have all represented excellent value for money with consistent levels of supply.

What is your favourite van on the market and why?

That's a tough question because there are so many good vans to choose from, but it would have to be VW's Transporter, for build quality, driveability, practicality and rock-solid residual values.

Which manufacturer in your eyes produces the best vans for Builders, Gardners, Plumbers and Florists?

Many manufacturers share designs/bodies/engines etcetera, and nowadays we find a Builder using the same vehicle as a Florist or Plumber, so I think like the Renault Trafic type of vehicle is probably the most versatile for all of these trades.

In 2007, did you see a rise in new and used vehicle sales? Which factors do you think have determind this increase

We had a 15 per cent rise in sales in 2007 and although demand has been constant across the board we increased our sales, and have continued to do so, by having the right stock, at the right price, ready to go.

You target all areas of the UK for van sales, how do you ensure that you deliver a good customer service?

This has been our biggest challenge, as the vast majority of our customers are owner/driver type small businesses. Last year we delivered nearly 8000 individual vehicles to nearly 8000 different customers. We expect the same levels of commitment from our finance and vehicle supply partners, which maximises customer satisfaction. We are constantly striving to improve every aspect of our service on our journey from "good" to "great".

You have a strong reputation for the retail element of Fiat van sales, how did you create this opportunity?

We believe strongly in the Fiat brand, it's a cutting-edge product and competitively priced. We are Fiat franchise holders...actually, we are the largest Fiat Professional (LCV) Dealer in Europe, so it's not surprising we can shift one or two of them!

How has the increase in popularity of online advertising within the van market affected your marketing plans?

We have recently developed our new on-line showroom to reflect the popularity of on-line and have partnerships with a range of online businesses to drive our internet based sales.