MERCHANT FOCUS: APP WHOLESALE
now joining the APP team will help to drive momentum into work that has already started. “We do all the other plumbing and heating products that other distributors in the market do, but it’s not been our main area of focus in the past. We don’t want to lose focus on the boilers, but we want to grow our sales in other areas. As a national distributor, our product portfolio was narrow, and there were many brands we did not have access to that we do now. With renewable products beginning to gather momentum with changes in legislation and net carbon zero looming, we are looking to introduce and grow this category so will also be investing in product ranges and a team to take this offering to market.”
and Shane Knight as commercial director, and then Dee Singh was appointed HR manager in June 2021. As of October 2022, Neil Lake joined APP to take up the position of UK sales director. In December 2021, Lake, owner of DH&P Trade Counters Holdings Limited and DH&P HRP Holdings Limited, known in the trade as Direct Heating and HRP Trade respectively, and also a long-term APP customer approached APP about selling his business. By April 1 2022, the deal was signed, and the business became part of the Lords Group as a subsidiary of APP Wholesale Ltd. Direct Heating has five branches in Ipswich, Chelmsford, Southend, Benfleet and Colchester, while the HRP Trade business is a national distributor of plumbing and heating spares servicing well over 400 independent plumbers merchant customers.
“It’s such a complimentary business,” Brockman says. “Neil has been working with
me and the senior team for the last six months to try to align the business and extract the benefits for and from each other. This included sharing of buying terms, retail price alignment and stock profile alignment. We have resources and contacts that HRP can leverage, HRP has skillsets that we can leverage, so it’s a mutually beneficial coming together of two great businesses.”
Lake adds: “Pre-acquisition there has always been a synergy between the two businesses and now we’re reaping the benefits of that. The marketplace has its challenges but there are huge benefits from the acquisition. Prior to the acquisition myself and Michael had an existing relationship and always shared market knowledge and now it’s even more unified.” Brockman says that the aim going forward is to develop the business’ non-boiler sales, which is where Lake’s expertise, experience and
February 2023
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
He says that the company has begun to look at implementing an ERP upgrade in 2023, led by IT director Jon Doyle, which is “another good example of the investment we are continuing to make in the business”. An upgrade to Microsoft Business Central is an enabler for further customer service improvement. It will include benefits such an online customer portal which will allow the company’s merchant customers to log in to the system to view live stock, view, pay and query invoices and key their own orders. “On the retail side of the business our customers will be able to buy from us with even more confidence when we are able to show live stock on our Mr Central Heating website across our branch network. “There has been a significant cultural shift in the business in the past three years, and we are all part of something really exciting that’s happening. 2023 will be a big year for us but there’s still so much more for us to go after.” BMJ
21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
