GA Commercial invests in its growing van fleet

GA Commercial provides a range of sales, repair and servicing for commercial laundry and catering equipment in sectors including healthcare, hospitality and leisure.

The company consists of three separate businesses – in Walsall, GA Commercial itself and its partner company Sertronics Commercial, alongside the recently acquired Nottingham-based Aventus Laundry.

Employing some 40 staff in total, it has previously exclusively rented its fleet of 13 vans for its engineers and sales staff to use. However rising costs prompted a rethink.

Following advice from its new Bristol-based vehicles partner Vanaways and its business development manager Hannah Pearson, the company’s new director of commercial Scott Moore has chosen the purchasing route for its growing commercial fleet.

The acquisitions have begun with three brand new Renault Trafic Advance SWB vans, with a further seven expected to be purchased over the next few months.

GA Commercial in Regal Drive is now targeting significant growth from its current turnover of £4.8 million across the three businesses.

“We’re on a growth journey,” said Mr Moore, “and we wanted a vehicle supplier who shared our values for quality of service and innovative thinking. Myself, our managing director David Ince and our chairman Andy Taurins have taken these growth decisions and I’d like to thank my colleagues for giving me this opportunity to develop things.

“During this period Hannah’s advice has been excellent, her dedication to a solution which works for our business has been exemplary and her communications have been reliable and effective.

“We’ve been able to make significant savings on the cost of each vehicle and the added benefit of owning assets in the business means we can reinvest their value.

“It’s great to have a partner who we trust to be acting in our best interests as we look to grow our customer base around the UK.”

The relationship between GA Commercial and Vanaways began following a connection on LinkedIn late last year. Ms Pearson said she worked closely with Boost Asset Finance to find a solution which was optimal for the client.

“After thorough discussions around what GA Commercial were trying to achieve as a business and taking into consideration future growth plans, we found a great option which really suited the customer,” she said.

“At the forefront of our decisions was a competitive monthly price point, alongside a fleet of vans in which the employees felt safe, comfortable and happy travelling around the UK.

“Vanaways is of course delighted to be support GA Commercial as it continues to grow its business. We love finding customers who share our passion for dynamic thinking and quick and efficient service. There’s a real synergy there and we look forward to helping Scott and the rest of the team as the company develops.”

Mr Moore said the decision to switch to Renault from a previous supplier had already proven popular with his drivers.

“These vans are like the office for our guys,” he said. “So it’s really important to us that they’re comfortable and practical. To be honest, the drivers love them already. They’re really well equipped with all the gadgets the lads need, they’ve got cruise control which is great for long journeys, and we know the reliability is going to be strong, too.

“So it’s a great solution for the drivers and for our business, which is great for customers as well.”