78 • SAFES
De Raat
Finishes the
Year on a High
» » DE RAAT SECURITY PRODUCTS
Ltd, formerly known as Safes UK
Ltd, has been supplying safes
into the UK market for more than
20 years and has established a
loyal customer base. Moving with
the times the business decided
to relocate its sales office and
warehouse/logistics operation
earlier this year together with
adopting a new strategy to better
support its customers and grow.
Positive results month by month
are proving this change was the
right move to make.
If you have been following the
story of De Raat you will know
the company has increased stock
availability of the core range,
improved next day delivery order
cut off times for <30kg and pallet
deliveries and lowered prices
of many products including
certified safes and cupboards.
General Manager Mark Hawkins
states “changing the way we
operate has meant we offer a far
better service than before and
customers are telling us this first
hand”. Mark explains ”targeting a
95% availability level for stocked
items means customers are
quickly gaining confidence in
the fact we have stock when
they need it. Offering more
competitive pricing is the cherry
on the cake”.
With De Raat experiencing
strong growth this year the De
Raat team is planning to invest
and grow its human resources to
ensure they able to support this
growth. Kellie Hughes, Customer
Service Supervisor, says “it’s
essential the team grows in line
with our sales in order to keep
providing excellent customer
service”. Kellie goes on to say
“we are not only seeing more
orders come through but also
enquiries from our dealers for
larger projects; we need to be able
‘customers
are quickly
gaining
confidence
in the fact
we have
stock when
they need
it. Offering
more
competitive
pricing is
the cherry
on the
cake’
‘we are
focused on
growing
the team
and
product
range’
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | NOV/DEC 2018
Sponsored by ABUS
to manage those properly so our
customers have the best chance
of winning this business and we all
benefit.”
Despite the growth De Raat will
not be getting complacent. Mark
says “we have created a strong
foundation for growth now so
we are focused on growing the
team and product range to stay
on track”. The core range from De
Raat has added the SentrySafe
brand from Master Lock, meaning
De Raat now has a comprehensive
range of certified fire-resistant
products. Additionally, sales
growth with filing cabinets and
cupboards due to the introduction
of GDPR earlier in the year have
given the product segment a new
lease of life.
As the year comes to an end
and De Raat is looking forward to
continuing the success of 2018
into 2019 planning and preparation
for the future is still high on the
agenda. Mark explains “with the
unknown of Brexit on the horizon
planning is trickier than normal,
however being part of a European
group of companies we have
strategies in place that should help
maintain supply continuity through
this time.”
Mark, Kellie, Julie and everyone
from De Raat, Zoetermeer would
like to thank all its UK customers,
old and new, for their business and
support during the year and wish
everyone a Merry Christmas and
best wishes for 2019.
Find out if De Raat has the
products you need for your
customers by calling 03300
585306 and speak to Kellie, Julia
or Mark.
www.deraat.co.uk