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Choice and value at The Van Shop
With margins tighter than ever, operators are keen to find the best value
possible in every aspect of their businesses. Price has become the bottom
line for people purchasing commercial vehicles and The Van Shop, on the
periphery of Belfast, is selling more and more models to bargain-hunting
purchasers from south of the border.
Located on the outskirts of Belfast, The Van Shop has more than 25 years’
experience in the commercial vehicle trade. During the company’s
impressive history of service to the business sector, they have sold over
ten thousand commercial vehicles to date. In recent times, in keeping
with the dramatic shift in the dynamic of the international marketplace,
The Van Shop has been selling more and more vehicles into the Republic
of Ireland.
The Van Shop can supply most makes and models of brand new light commercial
vehicle, carrying a huge stock at a spacious, well-stocked 4.5 acre showroom
on the Mallusk Road, Newtownabbey (just after Mallusk Village as you drive
towards Templepatrick, within quick travelling distances from Belfast
and the motorway network.). They also hold a large supply of used vehicles,
all of which are sold with a minimum six-month manufacturer’s warranty.
The team at The Van Shop prides itself on meeting all the commercial vehicle
needs of customers, and they are always on hand to offer insightful guidance
on choosing the best van to suit each client’s individual needs.
To make the service as convenient as possible to fleet operators and one-vehicle
tradesmen alike, a wide range of finance deals, contract hire and leasing
terms is available.
A full range of commercial vehicle parts and accessories is also supplied
and fitted. With a strong back-up service that continues for the full
lifetime of the vehicle, The Van Shop offers repairs, maintenance and
servicing, with courtesy vehicles available while your own van is off
the road. After all, when your vehicle is your livelihood, every second
counts!
The Van Shop can offer short- or long-term flexible hire solutions tailored
to suit all customers, with a vast selection of vehicles available for
all purposes, budgets and timescales. Rentals starting from as little
as £22.50 per day and customers are guaranteed the best possible
rates from half-a-day hire to one-year hire. An unrivalled service is
provided to keep customers on the road at all times. Customers just pay
the rental costs and The Van Shop looks after everything else.
Providing customers with a keen personal touch, The Van Shop is a third-generation
family business. David Dundee is the current managing director. For 25
years prior to that, his father Ken and grandfather Harold ran the business,
and both men are still involved today. “It’s a long-standing
family business and we’re based in Mallusk, which is a large industrial
area with a lot of car and commercial motor dealers. We’re only five
miles from Belfast city centre, so it’s a really good location,”
David notes.
As the name suggests, new and second hand vans are at the heart of the
business and The Van Shop has a definite edge on the competition as it
isn’t confined or restricted by one or two franchises. Instead, customers
can choose from a full list of manufacturers – Citroen, Daihatsu,
Fiat, Ford, Isuzu, Iveco, Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Nissan,
Peugeot, Renault, Toyota, Suzuki, Vauxhall, Volkswagen etc – to find
the exact vehicle to fit their particular requirements. “We specialise
in light commercials – anything from three and a half tonne and below,”
the MD continues. “As we’re not franchised, we are flexible
and we can adapt to the market and sort our customers out with the right
solution every time.”
Of course, the weakened sterling has led to a huge increase in cross-border
business for motor dealers from the North. The Van Shop is one of the
many outlets reporting a brisk upturn in ‘exports’, despite
the economic recession that’s prevalent across the nation: “Since
the sterling weakened, about 50% of our sales have been down south,”
David confirms. “We sold 40 vehicles into the south in January alone.
Any make or model, we can get it and it’s a very straightforward
procedure. All the prices on our website are in sterling and euro, and
we have customers from all over the island, down as far as Cork.”
Due to the cross-border trade, January 2009 was The Van Shop’s best
month in 14. “We’re prepared to meet customers at Belfast Airport
and take them over to the showrooms to pick out the van they want. Often,
we also deliver the vans free of charge, if required. There’s nothing
complicated about the process of buying a commercial vehicle in the north
for use in the south. When they purchase it from us – either face
to face or over the phone – they can pay us either in sterling or
euro and then go to the local revenue office with the UK log book and
pay just 50 euro VRT to bring the vehicle across.
“It’s really that simple. The vehicle is then registered to
the local office and can be taxed and used straight away. It’s in
complete contrast to cars, where buyers are expected to pay thousands
to bring them across. As well as the saving on price, there’s also
a 6% saving to be made on VAT.”
The Van Shop are particular specialists in nearly-new vehicles, which
are registered in the past six months and have 1,000km or less on the
clock. “There’s very little paperwork and we offer a full warranty
which is transferable to a dealer down south. Ford, Renault, Citroen,
Peugeot, Volkswagen and Toyota are our biggest sellers and they would
all be regarded as the top names in commercial vehicles. Regardless of
what vehicle a customer wants, we will get it for him and we will supply
it at a price that cannot be beaten.”
The Van Shop
170 Mallusk Road,
Newtownabbey,
Belfast
County Antrim
BT36 4QN
Tel: 0(044)28 9084 7494
Fax: 0(044)28 9084 7490
Email: info@vanshopmallusk.com
www.vanshopmallusk.com
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