A Glasgow-based bathroom and kitchen surfaces manufacturer has hailed a “key milestone” in its growth plans, as it eyes significant expansion after bouncing back from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Rearo, a family business which has its 67,000 sq ft manufacturing plant at Govan and has won a raft of contracts in recent times including the installation of washroom panels at The Oval cricket ground in London, has added an Aberdeen branch to its UK network.
It declared this would ensure “nationwide delivery within six weeks of a commercial order being placed”.
Rearo, which supplies a range of businesses in the UK including fast-food restaurants, supermarkets, and high-street chains, is targeting 100%-plus growth in its commercial sales over the next 12 months.
The company also flagged a boost to retail sales from consumers’ appetite for do-it-yourself renovations.
It said its last financial year had “marked a full recovery following the pandemic”, with its turnover increasing to £9.65 million and commercial products accounting for 22% of sales.
Rearo has set a provisional revenue target of £10.8m for the year to May 2025, with anticipated commercial sales of £5m.
It said that the launch of its Aberdeen branch enhanced its “ability to serve commercial and retail clients across the UK mainland, swiftly and efficiently”.
Read more
- In-denial Leavers not happy to hear Brexit home truths
- Long-time Labour supporter and former donor lambasts NI hike
Rearo noted this latest expansion builds on its existing network of storage depots, “strategically located” at Rosyth in Fife, Washington in Tyne and Wear, Northampton, and Skelmersdale in Lancashire.
The company declared it had capitalised on “increased demand for home DIY renovations”, leading to a rise in domestic sales.
And Rearo flagged its belief that its expanded national coverage would help it to secure contracts with major national clients, increasing market share and revenues.
Rearo noted that recent commercial wins have included the supply and installation of washroom panels and vanity units for manufacturer Alexander Dennis’s new electric bus factory at Larbert in Stirlingshire.
Other projects completed recently include washroom panel installations for Cambridge University, Stena Line at Fishguard in Wales, Maybole Town Hall in Ayrshire, and the University of Glasgow.
Rearo said: “The addition of the Aberdeen branch addresses a previously identified gap in the company’s distribution network, enabling it to efficiently service commercial and retail clients across the whole of the north and north-east of Scotland.
“This location was selected to optimise Rearo’s geographical reach and minimise delivery times.”
Managing director Graham Mercer, whose father James founded the business in 1991 as a “one-stop shop” for all items related to wall coverings, worktops and accessories, said: “The north and north-east are the final piece of the jigsaw for us to be able to claim to be a truly UK-wide company.
“Our network of depots and vehicles already ensures we can deliver, quickly and reliably, across England and Wales, from the border with Scotland to the toe of Cornwall.”
Read more
He added: “The decision to expand the national delivery network was driven by a commitment to enhancing customer service and responsiveness.”
Rearo noted its Washington depot in north-east England serves as the “central hub for the company's high-volume laminate worktop stock, enabling optimised delivery to clients throughout the UK”.
It added that the addition of a third, 7.5-tonne truck in Washington “allows for more efficient internal transport and stock management between depots”.
The new distribution strategy has also involved the development of a "refined" computer system, designed to manage stock across all locations, “facilitating streamlined inter-depot transportation and minimising delivery times".
Graham Mercer said: “The new system aims to create a more predictable and reliable delivery service. We will continue to contact customers directly to confirm delivery schedules.
“This ensures greater flexibility and responsiveness to individual customer needs, allowing us to cater for specific requirements and potential logistical challenges that may present themselves in certain areas of the UK.”
He added: “This refined approach to delivery aims to minimise delays and ensure timely fulfilment of orders. We anticipate the implementation of this enhanced operational structure will not only reduce average delivery times but also provide a significant improvement in customer satisfaction levels.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here