Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: Stuleslie on Thursday,June 06, 2019, 07:53:28 AM
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Good news, I think.
As of Monday 3rd June Richard has successfully transferred his parts business over to two guys in Solihull.
I have just made an order with them and all seems well. They call themselves Lotus Supplies Ltd.
You will see on Richard’s Parts site a new phone number that will get you through to Nick or Dave.
+44 1926 835296.
I spoke with Nick and he seems a genuine guy with experience in running a Europa in the past.
Richard will still be available on his normal number to take calls for advice. He said he will still be busy manufacturing many of the parts that make up the parts list.
Nick said in time there will be a new web site with more pictures and an easier ordering system.
So I wish Nick and Dave good luck for the future and continued access to Richard’s parts and invaluable knowledge.
Stuart
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That does sound like very good news!
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Same neck of the woods as Paul Matty's, I wonder if these guys are ex-PM's who have set up on their own after Paul retired ?
Brian
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Sounds encouraging. Thanks for the 411.
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I cannot find Lotus Supplies website.
Any clues please?
No answer from +44 1926 835296.
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I've been waiting for there to be some evidence of the change on Richard's website but so far, nothing. If Richard's number doesn't answer, that is even more disturbing.
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Apparently the deal has happened, but the winner is yet to make themselves public.
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I bought two engine mounts from Nick last week.
If you look on Richard’s web site the new phone number is shown and the statement about Lotus supplies ltd.
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That does not fit very well with this.
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On the other hand, it might fit in well with this.
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and there was I thinking you could not have 2 companies with exactly the same name, even if one no longer exists.
I know not enough about Company Law.
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So this company, Lotus Supplies Ltd., is now selling Richard's parts. Does anybody have a website or phone number for them?
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So this company, Lotus Supplies Ltd., is now selling Richard's parts. Does anybody have a website or phone number for them?
+44 1926 835296.
I cannot find a web site at the moment.
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Isn't that Richard's phone number? Do you know if they are working out of Richard's place? I'm confused... :confused:
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Richard's number is +44 1704 227059
The new mob are in Warwickshire which is south of Birmingham, a fair way away from Banks.
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And so it is (after looking it up in my notes)! Interesting that his "real" number doesn't seem to show up on his website! Hmmmm....
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Alex, one company was called "Lotus Supplies Ltd", the other is called "Lotus Supplies Limited". They don't have exactly the same name.
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Alex, one company was called "Lotus Supplies Ltd", the other is called "Lotus Supplies Limited". They don't have exactly the same name.
You have a good point, but there still does not appear to be a web site however you spell limited.
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Alex, one company was called "Lotus Supplies Ltd", the other is called "Lotus Supplies Limited". They don't have exactly the same name.
You have a good point, but there still does not appear to be a web site however you spell limited.
It is a strange one, I did the same as Alex and found the dissolved company first which also made me wonder at what was going on. Given that most folks abbreviate "Limited" to "Ltd", I wouldn't have picked that name myself in case there's any debt or ill-will associated with the previous company. But then again, I've never been in the game of setting up companies, selecting names, etc, so I don't really know what's what.
It wouldn't surprise me if for the immediate future they rely on Richard's website and if I were them, I'd make a positive contribution to keeping the partnership. If you own a 60s/70s Europa then the chances are that you'll know of Richard, or at least his website and the main advantage is that it's already established, bookmarked and most importantly, working !
A joint development could easily get online purchases and email enquiries for parts going directly to themselves rather than Richard as we all know he's more a phone than email person. Technical, new-build and restoration business would still go to Richard as normal. he'd most likely still fabricate those specials he does now and just lose the problem of packing up and sending out parts.
Brian
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Brian,
I agree with you about the website. My guess is they will be the parts fulfillment and Richard the manufacturer of his specialized products. It will be good to see a classic Lotus supplier up there website game for us younger generation owners. I am perfectly happy to buy products from a good web store just not many of the Lotus sites seem to work that well today.
Ross
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:I-agree: Due to poor websites there are only 2 suppliers of the 4-6 around that I can use to order parts from. No I can't afford long distance charges and not being able to see the parts.
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Drifting slightly off topic, I think the main reason that supplier's websites are "sooooo last year" is because the majority of the guys are long term suppliers from way before this interwebby thing. Richard was around in the late 70s/early 80s when the sum total of advertising was a page in the "Club Lotus" magazine and possibly the Lotus Drivers Club if/when that came out. Both mags are now quite professional and both clubs also have an online presence so you'll probably hit 80%+ of UK Lotus enthusiasts that way, more than you'd do from a google search for your own website.
I'm not trying to do these guys down when I say I doubt they'll see a lot of profit in creating or maintaining a website in the manner of say, Amazon. I'm willing to bet they have to pay someone else to do the details for them, they will probably have to take photographs and write technical descriptions for someone else to update with prices and sort out the purchase model.
So it's a direct tax on their profits. Will they make enough extra to cover the costs ? Doubtful in the case of our cars because it's a very limited market and very few cars are driven 10k/year and actually wear out like they used to do !
Compare with a modern lotus elise and they are well served, Eliseparts ( https://www.eliseparts.com/ (https://www.eliseparts.com/) ) have a nifty website, slick and very easy to buy from, and that's because it's a bigger and more modern market. Gary started up with the S1 Elise and has grown along with Elise forums where the website is expected and probably 95% of his business model.
Closing on a positive note, SJS Lotus do quite well these days and I've noticed that Kelvedon (under new ownership) are making progress even if their website isn't as slick as the other contenders. For TC engine parts, Burton & QED are pretty good in both description and sending stuff out.
So the compromise is a website that just announces their presence, what they do and what they sell.
Brian
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I think you're right, Brian. On the other end of the spectrum is Dave Bean. Their website hasn't been updated since it first went online probably twenty years ago. There are few parts listed on it and no way to buy off the site at all. It's really worse than that because it's not simple to find their phone number on the site! After Dave died, I asked Ken over there if there was a thought about updating the site and he said it was highly unlikely anytime soon. It's a shame because they sell a lot of interesting stuff but it looks like the only way to find out what they have is to get their paper catalog. Their catalog is worth buying (I think they might be free) because they contain a lot of good information in them. But then one wonders what new parts they sell now and what things in the catalog have been discontinued. I can only guess that they figure their ads in the Lotus Ltd. magazine and probably a few other places give them enough exposure.
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I totally agree with your post Brian. My comment was in the hope that the new owners of the Banks parts inventory will continue the site as it is. Lately I found that the ordering part from the site was not working. An email to Richard was needed to get parts. As I am 14 years older than my Europa, I am not very tec Savvy. When it comes to Computers my daughter calls me a pebkac (problem exists between keyboard and chair).
Sandy
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my daughter calls me a pebkac (problem exists between keyboard and chair).
:FUNNY:
now that did make me chuckle, I'd not heard pebkac before and I'm going to store it for future use !
I think we're all agreed it's an age thing coupled with the small potential market. SJS get away with it because they do the whole Lotus range so can afford the investment. I'd love to see Richard's site developed as a "one-stop-shop" for both parts/restoration services and if these new guys are similar to the ones who've taken over Kelvedon it could well happen.
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Hello everyone. Yes the news is correct we have taken over the sales of banks europa, but are working very closely with richard. He is still manufacturing parts.
For the time being we are using the original website, but are in the process of building a more modern one, which will indeed have a picture for every part as it is something that everyone seems to want 👍.
Also keep an eye on our facebook page https://m.facebook.com/lotussuppliesltd as this will show any new products that richard has developed and not got round to selling.
The new parts store is based in warwick the solihull address is just our registered office
We hope we can be of some use to you all in the future
Nick & Dave
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:Welcome:
Nick & Dave,
Lotus supplies.
That’s great news and we wish you all the success in the world.
Dakazman
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Greetings Nick and Dave;
Best of luck in your new venture! What is your policy regarding shipping parts to the USA?
Tom (aka Surfguitar58)
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:Welcome: Nick & Dave!
I'm looking forward to seeing how you build on what Richard started! I have a lot of Richard's kits - twin link rear suspension, rear discs, front vented discs, adjustable front upper A-arms, door hinges, NG3, and probably a few other odds and ends so I'm very familiar with Richard's furtile mind. There are still a few things I might be in the market for down the road so I'm glad his products will be available in the future.
Can you share what you know about Richard's plans now that he's offloaded the parts business to you? You imply he may have some new products. Is he still building cars for customers?
edit: Richard's mind is really more furtile than furtive.
Anyway, best of luck with your new venture!
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Yet another :Welcome: for Nick & Dave, it's great to see one of our suppliers joining in with the community and I wish you well for your future business. Having a presence and easy contact works well for Eliseparts and a few of the other Elise suppliers so I hope you get the same response/success with your new venture.
I'm sure you are aware that Richard has an enviable reputation in the Europa world and quite a few of us here have parts which he's either made or had made for our cars. It's great to hear that the source of supply will be around for a while yet.
As you say, photographs are always a welcome addition to a "Parts List" because with the slight variations on Lotus of this era it's always reassuring to what you're buying is the same as the rusty part in your hand.
It's a lot of work to build a website from scratch so you definitely get street cred awards for doing so. I'm sure if you want feedback on progress/style/ease of use then you've got a ready-made set of beta testers on here !
Brian
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As you say, photographs are always a welcome addition to a "Parts List" because with the slight variations on Lotus of this era it's always reassuring to what you're buying is the same as the rusty part in your hand.
It's a lot of work to build a website from scratch so you definitely get street cred awards for doing so. I'm sure if you want feedback on progress/style/ease of use then you've got a ready-made set of beta testers on here !
Brian
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Photographs are also truly international. Why limit your site. Some French sites are multilingual.
Brian is right, beta testers are here.
Dave
Aka Dakazman
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BDA, I suspect and hope you meant fertile mind, not furtive!!!
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You got me, Roger! Although I suspect his mind could at times be furtive.