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Cross goes to Leek

30th March 2000, Page 56
30th March 2000
Page 56
Page 56, 30th March 2000 — Cross goes to Leek
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

• Independent dealer Cross Commercials is moving its depot 15 miles down the road from Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, to Leek, on the site of the town's old cattle market.

General manager Don Mitchell says: "At 1.5 acres, our new site is twice as big as our old one at Grove Road Garage. We've put 50 trucks on display, we've room for more and we've space for more trailers too."

The new premises include offices and hard standing; buildings formerly used for cattle are being converted into workshops.

The site is shared with haulier and sister company M FS. With both operations expanding, space was at a premium, says Mitchell.

The attraction of Leek is its ease of access. "The A52o links the town with the A5o, which in turn links the Mi with the M6," he explains. "Buyers from as far away as Cornwall and the North-East have been used to visiting us at Fenton, and there's no reason why they shouldn't visit us in Leek."

Cross's new base provides it with comparatively low overheads, and that should bring even better deals for customers, Mitchell predicts.

Exports account for 10-15% of Cross's business and, despite the strength of sterling, 14 low-power day-cab Scania tractive units have just been sold overseas.

"Success in export markets today means you have to be able to buy in good vehicles at lower prices than you previously paid so you can sell them for less," says Mitchell. "Fortunately we've been able to negotiate low insurance and shipping costs, which helps to keep us competitive: shippers are suffering because they're not getting enough outbound cargo."

UK operators are also interested in low-power, day-cab tractors, he reports, but they often convert them into rigids: "We've had examples of day-cab Foden tractors going to people who've fitted them with doubledrive bogies and tipper bodies, and we've sold two 34ohp Iveco tractors to livestock hauliers who have turned them into rigids and use them to transport cattle." Bob Reed, heavy commercials editor at CAP Guide, believes the export of used vehicles could be enjoying a revival. "A lot more seem to be going to Cyprus, South Africa and Poland, though not to Russia because they're short of hard currency," he says. And Harry Williams, of Merseyside independent dealer Williams Truck Centre, has just fielded an inquiry for used trucks from Mauritius.

Tags

Organisations: Williams Truck Centre
Locations: Stoke-on-Trent

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