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DRAPERS' EXPERIEN( WITH LIGHT VANS.

22nd August 1922, Page 16
22nd August 1922
Page 16
Page 17
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Page 16, 22nd August 1922 — DRAPERS' EXPERIEN( WITH LIGHT VANS.
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IN FEW spheres of • activity can the light van be employed to better advantage than in the transport of drapery,, particularly of light but valuable articles which, in the majority of' cases, might be irretrievably damaged if carelessness were dis-= played in the handling or packing, or if thefarticles became in the least degree soiled in transit.

,•,-,The mobility and rapidity of the light van are features which render its use. most popular amongst the larger drapers. One of their greatest assets is to be able to deliver goods direct to the residences of their customers within a few hours of the time at which they were purchased, and this is a factor which is greatly appreciated.

Ladies who have purchased the latest" creations." always wish to receive them without any delay, and they are far more likely to give their custom to those concerns which can give practically immediate delivery, than to others for the goods from which they' may have to wait a day or more.

. In the opinion of the leading drapers, vehiaes with carrying capacities which range from 7 cwt. to 1 ton have proved the most satisfactory. The goods which have to be carried are, in most cases, light although bulky, and even if larger vehicles were utilizea advantage could not be taken of the greater weight carrying capacity.

The use of a light, smart., and well-decorated van, particularly if the body be modelled on artistic lines, laas a very great actual advertising value, difficult to estimate in terms of ;2 s. d., but undoubtedly valuable, as is proved by the fact that most Of these concerns treat the pub.mity value as an asset in favour. of the commercial vehicle *hen comparing the costs of the various forms of transport. This question of 'appearance is, in certain cases, considered so valuable that private car chassis, fitted with luxurious van bodies built and finished on a par with the private car, are brought into service. This may be taken as a hint to our builders of light vans, that the appearance of their vehicles could, in certain cases, be improved so that they do not so palpably bear the stamp of the commercial vehicle. Few visitors to London can fall to be impressed by the imposing premises in Oxford Street of Bourne andHollingsworth, Ltd. This company have a large and increasing general drapery business, and for their work they have what Might appear to the casual observer a sufficiently large. fleet of motor vehicles, which includes 21 Studebaker vans of 15-cwt. capacity, four Austin "Twenty cars fitted with elegant van bodies, and one Tilling-Stevens q•-ton petrol lorry. The Studebaker; were purchased in 1916, the lorry in 1919, and the Austin Twenties in 1920, but so rapidly has the business extended thatthis fleet is now not nearly large enough, and as quickness' in despatch is considered by the company to be an essential to prosperous trading they have decided to double their fleet, and will do so when necesSary alterations to premises have been completed.

All the vans in the fleet are On the same work, viz., delivering light drapery so far as Weybridge and on local service the. vehicles often make two deliveries a day. The lorry is usually employed in bringing produce from the estate of Mr. Bourne to supplement the foodstuffs purchased for the company's staff.

Fight of the vans average at least 80 Miles per day, whilst the remainder average between 36 and 50 miles, according to the delivery area. In the morning they load and leave the premises in three batches, the long-distance cars first. These must be ready. for

loading at 9 a.m., and when they have been despatched the medium-journey cars report for.duty.at 9.15 a.m.

Each ear is accompanied by a porter, who is in charge of the articles for his particular area, and when his vehicle drives up loading is done expedi' tiously. The short-distance cars are then loaded between 9.30 a.m. and 9.45 a.m., so it will be seen that very little time is 'wasted. Some of the long-distance ears put up a monthly mileage of close on 2,000, whilst those employed on medium journeys average about 1,200 miles.

The average mileage per -gallon of petrol for the . whole .fleet, with the exception of the lorry, is 15, and the mileage of the Dunlop Magnum tyres.varies from 7,000 to 11,000 per tyre.

The company do all their own repairs. The driver has a report book in duplicate, the instructions being issued to the mechanics in the form of job cards. A complete overhaul is given to each vehicle once a year, and each driver has one working day off per fortnight, and on that day the car is thoroughly inspected.

The vehicles are very well kept and, 'being nicely finished, are considered by the company to have an enormous publicity value. The drivers are all welltrained men and are not faken for service unless they have had at least 12 months' driving experience in London. They turn out in spick-and-span condition and are all provided with smart caps, etc. It was pointed out to us that it is most essential in the drapery trade to obtain quick despatch. To assist in this, two vans are often kept on special work for customers who wish the urgent delivery of their goods. As tlie loads, although bulky, are light, the company findthat the 15-cwt. -vehicle entirely suits their purpose. Galeries Lafayette (England), Ltd., have not been very long established in their premises in Regent Street, but they have already built up a very satisfactorytrade and have won a reputation for quick

delivery that is consideied by them to be one of the main reasons for their Success.

Visitors to the French capital cannot have avoided noticing the striking appearance of the Renault vans, with -their distinctive bodywork, utilized by the headquarters of the company. These vans have proved so effective and satisfactory that similar types are used in this country.

The fleet at present consists of 10 Renault vehicles, with load capacities .ranging from 15 ewt. to 1 ton: In addition to this, there is one 3-ton Renault which is used almost solely on wholesale dock work and is naturally not suited to the carrying of the delicate materials, costumes, ete., handled by the light vans. The normal radius of 'delivery is approximately 15 miles, but on special suburban journeys the vehicles travel out so .far as 25 miles.

Certain of the goods are sent by rail, carriers, etc., but no horse transport is employed. The chief advantages gained by the use of the motor vehicles, as emphasized by the company, are speed and the large radius of action. These apply particularly to short-distance work, for goods can be delivered within a. few hours, when the railways would take at least 24 hours.

The vehicles are'maintained and repaired at the company's garage, -which is situated in Gray's Inn Road, W.C.

We have. already referred to the ornate appearance of the vehicles. They are considered to have an undoubtedly large puolicity value, and this is increased by the neat way in which the drivers are clad. In winter they are provided with chocolateand-gold uniforms, and in summer with others of chocolate-and-cream colour.

The articles for despatch are sent down to the despatch room via hydraulic lifts and returned by other lifts to the street level. A van is always kept half an hour after closing time for special deliveries which are required that day. It was pointed out that the trade does not call for heavy vehicles, and that a large fleet of light machines is infinitely better than a small fleet of heavy ones, both as regards speed and the number of deliveries ; in fact, it, was stated that even lighter vehicles than the ones in use would be preferred. We are indebted to Mr. E. G-. Costiff, the sub-despatch manager, and to Mr. T. A. Clarke, of the town and suburban despatch department, for their help while gathering this information. The extensive premises of Frederick Gorringe, Ltd., in Buckingham Palace Road, Landon, S.W., loom very large in the list of fashionable establishments which cater for the requirements of the fair sex.

For the transport of articles purchased by their customers the company utilize 7-cwt. Ford vans and Ford ton-truck cha,,s,sis, also fitted with van bodies. These deliver to anywhere within a radius of 30 miles, the goods comprising drapery, soft furnishing and crockery. This work could not possibly be done with horse vehicles, and, whilst the company are not convinced that motor vehicles are actually cheaper than rail transport, they have proved that the advantages gained by their use outweigh any • other consideration, and they pride themselves on the rapidity of their deliveries, which is the factor that really matters_ The publicity value is regarded as considerable, and this is reckoned as an asset against the cost of delivery. All repairs are done by the company's own mechanics, and one trouble which, they are endeavouring to overcome is that of excessive petrol consumption, which is said to be greater than that expected from the make of vehicles employed. The •company express appreciation of the work done by the vehicles, which they consider very handy and in all respects well suited to the class of goods carried. Furniture and other heavy goods are sometimes sent considerable distances, but in these cases transport is hired from outside sources.

Another of London's most famous drapery establishments is that of Dickins and Jones, Ltd., of Regent Street, W. This company, although they did not dispense with all their horse vehicles until shortly after the commencement of the war, began running motor vehicles 12 years.ago. At first the horses were replaced by three-wheeled parcel cars, but only one of these, a Warrick, is now in service. The other vehicles are 15-20 h.p. Napiers of 15-cwt. carrying capacity, and 20 h.p. Overland broughams for the use of the • travellers.Most of the material carried is light, but valuable, and includes the vast variety of materials, costumes, curtains and similar articles falling into the category of general drapery.

n18 Each department sends its parcels to the despatch section so soon as possible after the customer has been served. The parcels travel down a chute, to which there is direct access from every floor. This is not done with valuable and fragile goads, but proves extremely useful in the majority of cases. At the end of the chute is a travelling conveyor which leads the articles to a revolving sorting table. There the articles are packed, sorted into districts and

entered on to the despatch sheets, which are checked by the -porters and taken in trollies by hydraulic lifts to the street level.

Apart from covering the town area, suburban deliveries are made to Carsbalton, Epsom, Ham, Lcatherhead, Richmond, Oxted, Sidcup and other places within the same radius, which radius is extended according to the requirements of the business. Other distances are covered by carrier or rail, although the latter means of transport is not much favoured owing to the delay necessarily incurred, whereas the motors mi deliver from door to door expeditiously and without the necessity for special packing.

The vehicles form a good advertising medium, as they are smart, and the drivers.and portresses wear sniforms.

We were informed that the fact that orders can be executed promptly certainly does influence trade in a very beneficial manner, arid that motor vehicles compare more than favourably with other means of transport. Vehicles of 15-cwt. load capacity have proved most satisfactory, for, it was stated, heavy vehicles would not be in keeping with the conveyance of " fashion " goods. All chassis repairs, both running and overhauling, are attended to at the company's own garage, although major repairs to the bodies are executed outside.

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Locations: London, Austin, Paris

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