Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: simoncollins on August 04, 2009, 03:15:30 pm
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I took a call this morning from someone telling me that A&M Cleaning Supplies in Hemel Hempstead had gone into administration so I popped over there this afternoon and the place is all locked up, shutter down, no sign of any activity.
There is a notice in the window saying "closed due to family illness" but according to the guys at Screwfix next door the place was shut yesterday as well and the phone goes straight to answerphone. I can't imagine why a business wouldn't remain open even if someone was ill...
So for all you contract cleaners, carpet cleaners and window cleaners in the Hemel area you might need to look for another supplier!
Simon
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Aw don`t say that ! i have been using them since Olympic shut.Have found them very helpfull and they know what they are on about,infact due to call them to get new spring for my K valve,and some brass connectors,to replace my leaky one :(
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Just come off phone from Prochem sales rep who was up there first thing this morning having been "tipped off". Nobody was there and no answer on various phone numbers they tried, so they're now waiting to see what's what.
Have also had a call this pm from Numatic who said that they have been made aware that A&M have gone.
Shame, long established business and all that. I'm sure they'll re-surface somewhere down the line.
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Bloody same if that's true known and done buisness with Alan and his boys for years Top company ???
mark
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In a lot of ways we have it easy.
No staff (most of us) no real stock, cash flow only an issue if you like life on the edge and pricing is more an intangible.
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Were they too cheap making it unsustainable?
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No Joe proper well established supplier, very big down here.
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If this news is true, I just hate to hear hard working, good people be forced out of their businesses that they have given so very much to sustain. :'(
Hopefully, the sign was correct, and even more so, "hopefully" any family illness will be quickly solved in a positive manner.
Wishing them the very best as we all do; ;) ;)
Ed Valentine
cross-american corp.
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Thats a shame if it is true.
I was ordering and had a quote for an Envirodri e30 from them at £550 Wont find another one at that price.
I dont think I will get that now. But at least they never took a a card payment. Have checked. the 0800 number on there site is out of order so I think its true.
Dave
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Ed
Think you need to go cap in hand too JG think someone saved your bacon here! ;) ;) :o
Len
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Having a look at the A&M web site I can see why they might struggle and possibly fail if their sales volume dipped even slightly.
I don't know the company or the people, just analysing what's on their web site.
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No Joe proper well established supplier, very big down here.
Obviously A&M are very well respected by those who have used them for a long while.
What I heard was their prices were more then very competative. Which is fine whilst times are good, you can sell for a £1 when your competitors are selling at £1.20.
but when times are bad (like now) and volume sales drop, then you can easily find yourself in the muck.
Thats why I asked the question...... "Were they too cheap making it unsustainable?"
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Joe they were competitive but not Olympic cleaning cheap,
mark
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Mark
You have to sell an awful lot of items at around the £1 mark to be profitable. That's why the ASDA's etc have many items at above their competitors price and a range of HIGHER VALUE items in high visibility locations.
Cash flow is fine, but it has to be at a sustainable volume.
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Perhaps the market is not Big Enough
I think better Prices could be achieved if the manufactures cut out distributors and sold direct
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Perhaps the market is not Big Enough
I think better Prices could be achieved if the manufactures cut out distributors and sold direct
Steady Ian, I wanted to do that. But they did not like it when I wanted to cut out the ditsrubutor to save money.
Dave
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This is one of the reasons that we SHOULDN'T be even thinking about importing equipment and other items from the states. If everyone did it ALL of us would suffer because we need people like A&M, Prochem, Alltec, Hydramaster and others because these are people that stand behind our businesses and help make them successful. Love or hate some of these companies, but some of us rely on them for vital services, especially after sales back up on equipment.
Simon
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Hi Guys
Simon is of course right on this.
I have always believed in supporting local businesses where possible, because one can take the convenience for granted until they go, happened to me when Midel Cleaning in Leigh on Sea were taken over and relocated.
Now have to travel further for half the service :'(
A friend of mines long established janitorial business in the midlands has also gone under, they relocated to spanking new premises, recession kicked in , bye bye.
Cheers
Doug
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I liked the guys at A&M but they didnt really have any unique selling point that made me come back. If they had of kept the Recoil and built on that maybe things would be different.
Price isnt everything as we keep telling our customers.
Mark
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Perhaps they were denied the opportunity Mark
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Ive have heard reliably on the grapevine that the boss, Alan if i remember right, is romoured to be in Cuba as he has recently returned from there and was most impressed.
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No one supplier can be all things to all men. That's asking a bit much.
Simon
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what do u mean most impressed his company has gone down
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no sorry i was talking abouthime returning before this all happened and i meant he was impressed with cuba... not with going broke.
hope thats cleared that up ..
Just had phone call from one of the manufacturers ..not sure if im alowed to repeat what they said tho
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Would probably be unwise Dave although you could meybe add " allegedly " and not mention your sources name
When companies go down it tends to be " every man for himself "
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they were charging stupid prices, well stupid if you intend to pay the manufacturer and im glad they are gone although i feel bad for the Employees. I hope they been paid up seeing as it seems to have happened just after traditional pay day..
I know someone who is looking for a cleaning machine maintance person or 2 and maybe a salesmen who has experience in the cleaning supplies game, in the western half of the m25 so if any a an m employees reads this get intouch
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If John Taylor reads this he should get i n touch with me as I can think of loads of people that would like to have john servicing their TMs and portables.
Pete
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I think if John Taylor is reading this website he would be very interested in anything that is out there in the cleaning industry he is a wicked engineer and has loads of knowledge.
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If anyone has contact with John Taylor can they ask him to contact me.
Thanks
Simon
Industrial Floorcare Machines (UK)
Tel: 01442 823090
Mob: 07852 352783
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What can I say, talk about gossip, we are in a recession, companies go bust through loads of different reasons, maybe a customer did not pay them and dragged them down as well, or the bank pulled the plug, you would need some serious funding to carry stock, who knows who will be next....
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What a lot of you guys forget to bear in mind is that this small sector we operate in deals in very small amounts of revenue.
An established carpet cleaning supplier could only be turning over 150k, this is coupled with high rent, stock etc. It really is running on the ragged edge for most of them.
Most suppliers within the electrical industry are turning over 3-10Million, and have more margins to play with.
Matt
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150k?
3k a week?
£600 a day on a 5 day week?
for a small wholesale distributor?
don't be daft man.
i turned that on a bloody market stall.
derek
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Perhaps the market is not Big Enough
I think better Prices could be achieved if the manufactures cut out distributors and sold direct
How will that work, are you going to spend 1000.00 + on each order like us Distributors? i cant see manufactures wanting to deal with 36.00 here and 25.00 there.
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Derek
Look at their web site and you might be surprised at the low value items they were selling you'd have to sell an awful lot of 95p items to turnover even £150k
If you're selling similar products to ASDA / TESCO, etc you are on a slippery slope.
It's easy to criticise companies when things go wrong but everyone these days is a price shopper and that includes carpet cleaners who are always looking for the best prices on here.
Strange how they condemn the same thinking in their prospective customers!!
Ian
Don't think you thought that one out before posting. In a country where manufacturing has been wiped out and we import more each year we need importers / distributors
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My thinking was If you go to a local Prochem Distributor and ask for Urine Neutraliser for example you are told we do stock that mate
If you want to look at equipment we do not stock that mate.
Probably because of slow turnover and stock holding
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Ian.
It is in distributers interest to stock fast selling items and a good shop should avoid running out of stock so that is why when you ask for products they have got them. ::) Also was your answer really moderate or just plain B-----????
Expro
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Any news on these guys, I only just got to use them once or twice, and to a newbie like me they helped me out so much, even with pricing a job for materials.....anyway if your reading this, thanks guys I got the contract, I owe you one 8)
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Ian the reason for that is that the majority of the dealers are janitorial suppliers which is a huge market as every business small and large need the items. The carpet cleaning stuff is just tacked on and not specialist.
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Hi,
Its not family illness that has closed A & M Cleaning Supplies, The reason they were so cheap was that they wern't declaring everything and paying their taxes. Hmrc got tipped off and now he has skipped the country.
I found another supplier round the corner though - Anglian Chemicals, they are on the same road as the waste recycling depot. Obviously abit more expensive though :(
Wezandmel
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And opening tomorrow in Tring is the cleaning supplies showroom and trade counter of Sirdal Cleaning Supplies.
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What a load of of old S****, Wesley with one post obviously from Anglian or somewhere, do you think we are stupid, watch your backs evrybody, anglian have the knives out .......
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???
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??? Me too Joe ;D
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Shame,
They have only just moved into a brand spanking new unit in Hemel as well.
I know Alan at A&M had some health issues in the past but had seemed to have conquered them.
Good luck to them, I am sure the boys will bounce back.
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Surprised they never got into the cleaning side of things when reading about the high earnings to be made on forums.
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They were into the cleaning side of things, Alan was as shrewd a buisnessman and passionate about the industry.
As Hilton says Alan and his boys will bounce back.
mark