Announcement from Arc Euro Trade Ltd.

[Ketan Swali]

This is for the U.K. based readers:

Visitors to the various Model Engineering Shows are used to seeing us at the Harrogate Show in May and The Midlands Show in October.

This year we have decided to attend the show at Harrogate with a selection of machines only. We will not be selling any small tooling products at the show over the counter. We will also not be providing a prepaid collection service as we did in the past. We will only be taking orders for the machines for collection from our warehouse or for delivery after the show from our warehouse, based on availability.

While we are at the Harrogate Show, our business will also be operating normally, taking orders over our website, by telephone, and over the counter.

Unfortunately, we will not be attending the Midlands Show in October or any other shows this year.

We are taking this decision to be more cost efficient, and to try and deliver better value to our customers.

I will explain in a little more detail here:

As some of you may be aware, our stock is connected in real time to our website. To maintain stock accuracy, we have to close our website during show times. Last year, we found that we had to close our website for longer periods in preparation for, during and after the shows, so that we could always assure our customers of correct availability,
after the shows.

As our business grows and our product range increases, we would have to close our business down for even longer periods during show times, which in-turn would affect our overall sales. Added to this, product costs have increased due to supplier labour costs, material costs and exchange rates. At the same time, competition has increased with more traders chasing the same sales for smaller margins.

Therefore, to maintain stable growth, it is no longer cost effective for us to shut down for long periods during show times.

If anyone here belongs to a club and/or knows anyone who is visiting these shows, I will be grateful if you can pass on this message.

Everyone is welcome to visit and buy from us over the counter at our warehouse in Leicester, or via telephone, or via our website.

I apologise on behalf of everyone at Arc Euro Trade Ltd. for any inconvenience this may cause.

Ketan at ARC.

 

[HS93]

Hi have you thought of just taking a case/counter with just the new products in for display only , there seems to be a lot of new equipment this year and sometimes people just want to see it before ordering (lust after it in some cases).

Peter

 

[Ketan Swali]

Hi Peter,

I did think about doing that, but I had to rule it out due to a variety of reasons. It is just a compromise I am having to make.

Ketan

 

[SignalFailure]

Why not take all your tooling etc and hook up a laptop (surely the venues have wireless internet access?) so stuff you sell on your stand automatically comes off your stock? Granted it would slow down sales on your stand but you'd still be able to sell to 'real' and virtual customers.

Paul