September 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021 AFTERMARKET 39 www.aftermarketonline.net marketing pound as effectively as possible. We looked at every marketing channel to ensure that each one was optimised and the spend justified. We worked hard at securing higher than usual levels of editorial coverage in trade journals, talking to the editors to determine what they were looking for to keep their readers in the know. Logistical headache It all seemed too good to be true. Then, slap-bang in the middle of the whole pandemic, the UK officially left the EU. This, combined with a global shortage of shipping capacity plus the world’s most expensive traffic jam in the Suez Canal, created all manner of logistical headaches for global and local businesses alike. Bringing goods into the UK has become more expensive with deliveries less reliable, but we refuse to give in. To help absorb these problems we are increasing stock holdings in the UK and looking for further economies of scale in manufacturing to help offset some of the increases in material and shipping costs. These long-term problems will undoubtedly have an impact across the entire UK aftermarket and the UK economy. Businesses will have to become so much more efficient if they are to remain competitive. There is only so much price hiking any market will rightly accept. We must remain profitable not least to make our business a sustainable one from the inside out. Clear trajectory So then, I end this whistle-stop tour with the good news that Kalimex is now back to pre-pandemic sales levels with a clear trajectory for growth, driven by our ongoing investment in marketing. Looking ahead, we will continue to refine our marketing messages and work even closer with our distributors and key partners to help them, and us, to achieve our goals. V OM O FR OY AT O ALIFIED C 000 QU ,0 ER 3 UR BUYE RGET STCANT RS LEAS LIST E AL RENT i g la. daniel on +44 (0 a ont ct: C uk .oc et. ermark t vin@af a 340 073 23 )17 vin Daniella Ga rect D