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UK Tool van owners
- Thread starter denon
- Start date
bixxjs
Well-known member
Hi All
I'm in the UK,over here it's mostly Snap-on and Mac tool vans.My old Snap-on man left because of spiralling costs,bad payers and the fact that it's people don't want to mortgage their kids to buy tools!
I'm in the UK,over here it's mostly Snap-on and Mac tool vans.My old Snap-on man left because of spiralling costs,bad payers and the fact that it's people don't want to mortgage their kids to buy tools!
fatfillup
Well-known member
Good luck with the franchise if you decide to do it. It is a hard business with long hours and constantly chasing money. Personally, I would not do Mac, company is too iffy in general. I would do Snap on, very solid company with great quality or Gearwrench because they are more affordable. I don't know if Gearwrench has a tool truck presence in the UK but they are doing it in the US to some degree,.
Dave455
Well-known member
Personally, I wouldn't touch 'em.
What's on a Mac van? You've got Britool/Expert. A great make once, now trashed by various owners and now simply a brand name attached to just about the crappiest tools out there. There's no shortage of crappy tools, so who buy's 'em from the Mac Van, especially in the U.K. where you can get better tools for less money from every Halfords!
Then you have Facom. Again, great tools once, but the same machine is concentrating it's energies on trashing Facom too, and a line that was once predominantly top quality European tools is now having poorer quality Taiwanese imitations substituted at every opportunity. I suspect some Facom sells from the truck in the U.S. where it's a bit of a novelty and the Mac truck is the predominant source, but again, I can get Facom from any number of sources in the U.K. Online, high street, and even eBay! Oh, and all of those are cheaper than the Mac van too, so no sales there either!
Finally, you have the actual Mac line. Great. Decent tools, USA made, and even it's own following! Except that already the 'saleable' Mac tools are only accounting for about a third of your stock. Now what have you got? Ratchets, sure, very nice! A breaker bar, yes, but not actually made by Mac, so it doesn't match. A sliding T, ah no, long discontinued! Sockets, yes, but only some are Mac USA. Mac 'edge' are Taiwanese as are all the hex and torx. Might as well go back to Halfords for anything other than the US made Ratchets, Sockets and wrenches, and I doubt there's a living to be made there!
Personally, if I wanted a tool truck for the U.K. market I'd start my own.
No need to stick to one brand, or even one quality level (maybe have 'top end' and 'shop grade') Get screwdrivers from PB Swiss and maybe Wiha. Pliers from Knipex or VBW. Hammers from Thorex, Punches from Eclipse or Priory, Wrenches Sockets and accessories from Stahlwille, Hazet, KoKen or King ****! You get the idea.
You can offer tools better than most of the stuff on the Mac van but at lower cost, without paying any money for a franchise, and with the ability to call wherever you like! If the business doesn't work you can sell the van for what you paid and the tools likewise on eBay! If the idea works you could start selling your own franchise!
I have an independent tool van where I am, and even though he's done it wrong (it's full of Taiwan ****) and most folks don't buy anything, he still survives!
What's on a Mac van? You've got Britool/Expert. A great make once, now trashed by various owners and now simply a brand name attached to just about the crappiest tools out there. There's no shortage of crappy tools, so who buy's 'em from the Mac Van, especially in the U.K. where you can get better tools for less money from every Halfords!
Then you have Facom. Again, great tools once, but the same machine is concentrating it's energies on trashing Facom too, and a line that was once predominantly top quality European tools is now having poorer quality Taiwanese imitations substituted at every opportunity. I suspect some Facom sells from the truck in the U.S. where it's a bit of a novelty and the Mac truck is the predominant source, but again, I can get Facom from any number of sources in the U.K. Online, high street, and even eBay! Oh, and all of those are cheaper than the Mac van too, so no sales there either!
Finally, you have the actual Mac line. Great. Decent tools, USA made, and even it's own following! Except that already the 'saleable' Mac tools are only accounting for about a third of your stock. Now what have you got? Ratchets, sure, very nice! A breaker bar, yes, but not actually made by Mac, so it doesn't match. A sliding T, ah no, long discontinued! Sockets, yes, but only some are Mac USA. Mac 'edge' are Taiwanese as are all the hex and torx. Might as well go back to Halfords for anything other than the US made Ratchets, Sockets and wrenches, and I doubt there's a living to be made there!
Personally, if I wanted a tool truck for the U.K. market I'd start my own.
No need to stick to one brand, or even one quality level (maybe have 'top end' and 'shop grade') Get screwdrivers from PB Swiss and maybe Wiha. Pliers from Knipex or VBW. Hammers from Thorex, Punches from Eclipse or Priory, Wrenches Sockets and accessories from Stahlwille, Hazet, KoKen or King ****! You get the idea.
You can offer tools better than most of the stuff on the Mac van but at lower cost, without paying any money for a franchise, and with the ability to call wherever you like! If the business doesn't work you can sell the van for what you paid and the tools likewise on eBay! If the idea works you could start selling your own franchise!
I have an independent tool van where I am, and even though he's done it wrong (it's full of Taiwan ****) and most folks don't buy anything, he still survives!
Brownsfan
Well-known member
Didn't Cornwell just expand into the UK recently? Maybe that's another possibility? Could sell well because of its relative new presence in the UK. Plus the tools are top notch. Especially the ratchets. Some of the smoothest most comfortable I have used.
Had a look at tools vans as well and it seems to me that the costs are way too high.
Facom which is sold from the MAC van is easy to get considerably cheaper from elsewhere. I am in Central London and I buy my Facom from a place in Bolton that sells Facom at about 30-40% off the price of the MAC man. They're even cheaper than Prime Tools.
MAC tools are available from Ebay at less than the vans sell them for, often its the MAC man selling them under the counter so they don't have to pay tax on the sale.
The only advantage I can see to having a franchised van is the company behind you but this comes with downsides as well.
I suspect having a good independant website, shop and van could actually be considerably cheaper than having a franchise.
Facom which is sold from the MAC van is easy to get considerably cheaper from elsewhere. I am in Central London and I buy my Facom from a place in Bolton that sells Facom at about 30-40% off the price of the MAC man. They're even cheaper than Prime Tools.
MAC tools are available from Ebay at less than the vans sell them for, often its the MAC man selling them under the counter so they don't have to pay tax on the sale.
The only advantage I can see to having a franchised van is the company behind you but this comes with downsides as well.
I suspect having a good independant website, shop and van could actually be considerably cheaper than having a franchise.
bixxjs
Well-known member
Cornwell is in the UK,I buy all my tools off the main distributor.But I've never seen a van.
mikebaker1129
Well-known member
Cornwell has some nice stuff , but like other brands there is a lot of imports.