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FEATURE


Toolbank’s Great Northern Show 2019


THE four seasons can be marked out each year by changes of weather and the regular Toolbank shows up and down the country. The mysterious half- light ambience of the hospitality suite at Elland Road Stadium might not seem suitable for Toolbank’s Great Northern Show, but in fact, it creates an intimate atmosphere that is conducive to quiet chats about deals and Christmas promotions.


As usual, a good lunch and drinks menu, plus tea and coffee on tap and strategically placed benches, provide a setting where ‘relax, enjoy and take advantage of the deals’ is the order of the day.


The law and new opportunities Health and safety are often complained about in some quarters, but, in truth rules and legislation can be a good thing. The latest issue being brought to our attention is the danger of fire and smoke. Although deaths from these have declined rapidly in the last few years due to the widespread adoption of smoke and CO2


alarms in


homes, incidents like the Grenfell fire have focused the minds of the fire services.


So, it was good to see that First Alert had a


big display of these alarms making it easy for householders and trades to choose the one suitable for them. Shockingly, the reason many fire and smoke alarms are useless in preventing some deaths is that the users have taken the batteries out of them. Why? Because they sound when the grilled sausages make a bit of smoke in the kitchen.


Consequently, many modern alarms are designed to avoid this. With a choice of 10-year battery or mains power and a choice of smoke, CO2


or combined


sensors, they are easy to install, maintain and test. These alarms are the next step in the legal requirements for fire safety so are worth considering as stock items.


Elsewhere at the show, I spotted products from Arctic Heyes for testing smoke and CO2


alarms by simply aiming a whiff of


aerosol. But to give you an idea of how retailers might want to look at fire safety in the round, I also had another discussion about the need for the electrical fitting industry to adopt wholesale the requirements for electrical installations to be mounted with concrete screws because plastic plugs can melt in a fire and cause further damage if the installation falls off. So a trip to Forgefix to research their new


By PETER BRETT By PETER BRETT


range of concrete screws wouldn’t go amiss either.


Any more PPE stuff? Basic PPE is used on most sites these days – usually around gloves, dust masks, shoes and safety glasses. The choice of what to stock for retailers in these areas is huge, with the result that a very competitive market has developed, and new players in the field coming on board all the time. I prefer my safety gear to meet my criteria of comfort and effectiveness and I can afford to be a bit fussy, so I am lucky. But the deals available for buying in relative bulk at the show were very good – so good that no worker should feel that safety is out of their price range. Look out for the likes of Bolle, SCAN Safety and others who make a range of PPE.


In the run up to Christmas, the famous Toolbank Xmas Deals are now on stream and I did see buyers contemplating them. Some of the popular deals are already sold out or nearly so. Retailers will need to get the orders in quickly.


Just like the seasons, another Toolbank regional show will be due in the spring so keep an eye out for the announcements.


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