A £350,000 investment in its Turriff retail outlet will see Turriff Agri Parts Ltd (TAP), incorporating Aberdeen Pressure Washer Centre, increase retail space three-fold to 2000 square feet at its Duff Street headquarters.
The investment in the new premises, coupled with a new computerised stock control system and the barcoding of every item in the company’s 12,000 product lines, will further improve customer service for which TAP is already widely recognised.
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“It’s all about customer service and meeting the requirements of our customers,” says owner, George Mearns, who founded the company with his brother-in-law, James Murray, and the late Bob McKenzie in 1979. “We will now be able to carry extra stock and the investment in the new building and new systems is a major step in gearing us up for the future.”
The company has also appointed a new retail manager, Sarah George, who is joining from Norvite and will be based at Turriff.
TAP, an appropriate acronym given the company’s specialisation in all things water, started off supplying spare parts and consumables for the farming industry, which is still an important part of the business.
But today the supply of pressure washers and steam cleaners for both the home and industrial markets, and related activities, such as bore holes, accounts for 80% of turnover.
As far back as 1980, the company secured a dealership with Kärcher and is today the iconic German company’s biggest dealer in the UK and the only dealer in Scotland with two outlets.
“We are very proud of our partnership with Kärcher and have now gained recognition as the only Kärcher store in the north of Scotland selling a diverse range of Kärcher cleaning equipment.” says Mr Mearns.
“Kärcher products are recognised as high quality and value for money. Our business has gone from strength-to-strength over the years, providing an upstanding approach to the industry, coupled with the advantage of sound product knowledge and excellent customer service.”
Aberdeen Pressure Washer Center was created as a marketing tool to develop the non-agricultural side of the business and in 1991 a new division was launched to specialise in private water supply, including divining, drilling, pumping and water treatment. This division continues to expand with changing water regulations.
A milestone in the expansion of the company was the opening in 1995 of a branch in the concourse at Thainstone Centre, Inverurie, which has proved highly successful in providing innovative solutions to meet customers’ requirements.
In the same year, Aberdeen Pressure Washer Centre was one of only three Kärcher dealerships in Scotland to be awarded premier status to serve the North-east of Scotland and Highlands and Islands with cleaning equipment.
The Thainstone branch was appointed an official Kärcher store in November 2010 and was the only Kärcher store in the north of Scotland. However, with the expansion of the Turriff premises, the company now has two Kärcher stores, stocked with a wide range of domestic and commercial machines, spare parts and accessories with staff capable of handling all applications following training at the Kärcher Academy in Banbury HQ.
The company has diversified over the years into the haulage, garage, fishing and oil and gas industries but continues to supply many leading brands of agricultural spares and equipment.
“Our philosophy revolves round providing the very best customer back-up in service and spares,” says sales and marketing director, Eileen Brown. “We sell the best and repair the rest.”
