LANDSCAPING
LONG RAKE SPAR INCREASES CAPACITY
D
ecorative aggregate supplier Long Rake Spar has completed the first of three phases of works, by installing new washing and
bagging facilities into its latest site at Garston
Docks, Liverpool. This strategically placed site now produces finished aggregates for their Natural Selection brand. The facilities have been designed and constructed to include an additional sixteen external storage bays and
the building of a new 20,000 sq ft warehouse. This improvement in facilities allows for an additional 60,000 tonnes of decorative aggregates to be processed per annum. High volumes of stock are held at Long Rake Spar’s various sites to enable the company to react quickly and dynamically to demand for products. The addition of the site at Garston has contributed an increased stock holding, to in excess of £5 million across the group. This allows for stock to be delivered in a timely manner and from an environmental perspective, reduces the vehicle miles and the carbon footprint of our products. The ability to be fully in control of the supply chain is a fundamental part of the long-term strategy at Long Rake Spar, which has put them significantly ahead of many competitors in terms of stock holding and their ability to supply. The addition of Garston as a production site, adds to the existing production sites in Derbyshire, East Sussex and Shropshire, and a further three dock sites. Kenny Dean, Procurement and Logistics Director comments, “Long Rake Spar continue to invest at all UK sites. This new facility at Garston includes a state-of-the-art bagging plant utilising cutting edge technology. We are pleased to add this new site to our group and cement our long-term partnership with ABP.” BMJ
DIG FOR VICTORY C
arrying a core ramge of products such as topsoil and bark is key to building profits in the busy garden build and landscape supply sector.
That’s according to Andy Chalmers, director at Melcourt Industries, who says that more and more builders’ merchants are realising the benefits of stocking a ‘core range’ of gardening products.
“Why? Because merchants’ customers, the building trade operators, often need topsoil, compost, paving, fencing, turfing materials to complete an existing job or even for a stand alone project,” he says, adding that, traditionally, these types of products were mainly purchased from garden centres. Builders’ merchants, he believes, have the following advantages: They have large numbers of existing customers who regularly shop at their outlet and who already have a credit account. Many products, such as topsoil and bark mulch can easily be handled and off-loaded in bulk bags. Garden centres are usually limited to much smaller polythene
bags. Plus, many of these products offer better than average profit margins
He says: “However sales won’t just happen. At Melcourt we have successfully supplied
March 2022
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
builders’ merchants for over 15 years and know the key things that need to be done by both parties to start up, build and maximise sales.” BMJ
31
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 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
