Out and about with cat
CAT factor lives: A to Z Autoparts, Berkshire
Ian Wagstaff dons his overalls for a day at this factor.
CAT retail lives: Thame Autoparts
Ian Wagstaff dons his apron for a day behind the tills
CAT garage lives: Frogs Island 4X4
Frogs Island is a workshop with a difference. While the garage still gets its daily bread from servicing and repair work, many of its jobs are on a much larger scale than the average workshop. The 4x4 specialist started out as a one-man band in the early 1990s. Manager Gary Arnold says that the biggest change in the company came in 2008 when it was bought by 4x4 components supplier AllMakes
CAT lives: BEN
What is BEN? It’s your industry charity. What does BEN do? It offers care, support and welfare to the motor trade. Who is BEN for? You, your family, and your dependants. No less than 15,000 people are helped by BEN every year, but that figure is quickly dwarfed when Head of Marketing Ray Diggins explains the scope of BEN’s remit.
CAT supplier lives: Meyle
When it comes to the perennial debate over original parts or those of matching quality, Meyle has an interesting, no-nonsense contribution to make. Andrew Tress is the UK Sales Manager at the Burgess Hill-based operation in West Sussex and says it’s all a question of emissions and weight.
CAT distributor lives: Saxon
Nissan and Starbucks might be creating thousands of jobs, but consultancy firm Deloitte says nearly 10,000 workers were let go in the first quarter as Past Times, Peacocks, Game, La Senza, and Blacks all faltered on the High Street. It’s not a particularly cheery backdrop for Saxon Distribution to be selling into car accessory retailers then.