PROFILE ARTISAN HIRE CENTRES
“In many ways, the independent’s time is now”
Artisan Hire Centres has continued to expand its operation with the recent opening of two new depots. Alan Guthrie visited both of them.
When we profiled Artisan Hire Centres exactly five years ago, the world was a different place. The implications of the Northern Rock bank collapse in autumn 2007 were still being understood, as was the impact that the ‘credit crunch’ would go on to have on businesses at a national and local level. At the time, Artisan had plans to expand its operation by adding to existing locations in Swindon, Melksham, Chippenham and Bristol. As Directors Chris Comer and Jason King put it back then, “We have a clear plan of where we want to be in five years. Our goal is a network of ten depots - but not at any cost.” This level-headed outlook has subsequently paid off, with Artisan initially re-focusing on growing its existing operations, ensuring a sound platform for the eventual opening, during the second half of last year, of two new depots in Staverton near Cheltenham, and in Oxford.
Chris recalls, “In late 2007 we had been looking at a site in Oxford that Speedy was selling following its acquisition of Hewden Tool Hire, but there were issues with the lease. Moreover, following the economic uncertainty, we, like everyone else, adopted a cautious outlook and put expansion plans on hold. Nevertheless, we were still extremely busy and so were our customers. November 2008 was, up to that date, our best month ever. The slowdown came overnight the following month, and trading conditions were challenging until around June 2009. However, we kept all our staff, spent wisely and focused on developing our customer base.
“In fact, although new depots were put on hold, overall we continued to expand, meeting customers’ needs. Demand
dictated that we needed
Staverton opened last April and is Artisan’s fifth outlet.
to add our first mini excavators but, as an independent, you cannot go out and buy a fleet overnight.We would add, say, two machines plus other equipment we required, from Wacker compaction plates and Euro Towers mobile towers and podiums, to Hilti breakers and Stihl cut-off saws.We now have ten minis, principally Kubota and JCB machines up to 1.5 tonne. The fleet grew gradually and, in a sense, we have grown with it, responding to customers who appreciate our service and expect to pay a realistic rate for it.”
Indeed, as Artisan’s customers won business over a wider area, they looked to the hirer to serve them in areas such as Bracknell, Cheltenham, Cullompton, Gloucester, High Wycombe, Oxford, Reading and Tewkesbury. “We increased our fleet of vehicles, which were covering a greater mileage, recruited more drivers, and, at times, hire desk staff were making deliveries,” said Chris. “We also put in place measures such as upgrading our inspHire computer software to handle increasing business volumes, and continued to buy more equipment for key markets like dust control and other Health & Safety sensitive areas. We could have invested the resources in another depot immediately, but it was more important to get the infrastructure right first.”
Revisiting the plan Artisan has been able to tailor the premises at Staverton to its specific requirements. 44
Having weathered the recession and grown its business, revisiting the plan for additional depots was the logical next step. “Early in 2011, a customer told us he was working on an industrial unit being built in Staverton, Gloucestershire, opposite what he thought was the busiest builders’ merchant he had ever seen, and that the owners would
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