A growing commercial laundry equipment company in the Midlands is to make a significant investment in its van fleet after switching to outright purchase.
GA Commercial provides a range of sales, repair and servicing for commercial laundry and catering equipment in sectors including healthcare, hospitality and leisure, operating via three separate businesses.
The company, which employs some 40 staff in total, previously exclusively rented its fleet of 13 vans for its engineers and sales staff, but rising costs prompted a rethink.
Scott Moore, recently appointed director of commercial, has now chosen the purchasing route for its growing commercial fleet, based on advice from its new vehicles partner Vanaways and business development manager Hannah Pearson.
The acquisitions have begun with three brand-new Renault Trafic Advance SWB vans, with a further seven expected to be purchased over the next few months – supporting GA Commercial’s major growth plans from its current turnover of £4.8m across the three businesses.
“We’re on a growth journey,” said Moore, “and we wanted a vehicle supplier that shared our values for quality of service and innovative thinking. Myself, our managing director David Ince and our chairman Andy Taurins have taken these growth decisions and I’d like to thank my colleagues for giving me this opportunity to develop things.
“During this period, Hannah’s advice has been excellent, her dedication to a solution which works for our business has been exemplary and her communications have been reliable and effective.
“We’ve been able to make significant savings on the cost of each vehicle and the added benefit of owning assets in the business means we can reinvest their value.
“It’s great to have a partner who we trust to be acting in our best interests as we look to grow our customer base around the UK.”
The decision to switch to Renault vans from a previous supplier has also proved popular with drivers.
“These vans are like the office for our guys,” Moore explained. “So it’s really important to us that they’re comfortable and practical. To be honest, the drivers love them already. They’re really well-equipped with all the gadgets the lads need, they’ve got cruise control which is great for long journeys, and we know the reliability is going to be strong, too.
“So it’s a great solution for the drivers and for our business, which is great for customers as well.”
Vanaways’ Hannah Pearson added: “We love finding customers who share our passion for dynamic thinking and quick and efficient service. There’s a real synergy there and we look forward to helping Scott and the rest of the team as the company develops.”
