Manbat Puts The Focus On Profit

Busy motor factors are hectic environments that are naturally geared to the needs of their customers, rather than on themselves. This fact not withstanding, Manbat Ltd, supplier of the premium quality VARTA®, Lucas and Numax brands, will continue to encourage them to take a moment and consider some of the highly profitable opportunities that non-automotive battery sales can provide.

Factors located close to inland waterways, lochs or near the coast, could consider Numax marine batteries, which are the original equipment (OE) fitment for such well known brands as Sunseeker and Princess Yachts. Marine batteries command a higher price and greater margin than their automotive cousins, which makes them an attractive proposition for factors interested in increasing their profits.

Over the last few years there has been a massive increase in the number of people willing to camp, as well as a growing number of ‘young pensioners’ with disposable income to spend on leisure activities such as caravanning and motor caravanning. So alongside marine, the leisure battery market has also grown and these too can yield excellent returns, as they are considered an aspirational purchase that improves a lifestyle, rather than their automotive counterparts, which are looked at purely as a distress purchase causing cost and inconvenience.

Further encouragement for factors to extend their excellent battery knowledge and experience into these complementary sectors, comes with the news that Manbat is now an approved supplier to the NCC, the UK trade body for the tourer, motorhome, holiday home and park home industries.

“Although thousands of enthusiasts already rely on Numax and Lucas products, we believe that NCC membership will provide them with added reassurance of the quality of our products, which will certainly help factors looking to increase their battery sales,” explained Manbat’s marketing manager, Myles Pemberton.

“To provide enthusiasts with the assurance that the products they purchase are fit for purpose, the NCC has a Verified Leisure Battery Scheme. The scheme is designed to bring transparency to the leisure battery marketplace and help consumers select a product that’s right for them, which is why it’s great news for factors that offerings within the Numax and Lucas leisure ranges are approved in all relevant NCC Categories.”

The rationale behind the scheme is to provide product verification that batteries used in leisure vehicles (touring caravans and motorhomes) will perform as the manufacturers claim. In addition, the NCC is also encouraging its leisure vehicle member manufacturers to fit NCC verified leisure batteries as OE.

“Of course, there are many other opportunities beyond the leisure and marines sectors,” Pemberton continued “and so with our longstanding experience, allied to the fact that we supply batteries and their accessories across numerous industries, we are fully equipped and able to assist factors expand into any area where they see an opportunity.”