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Glopipe is the blog keeping Meroncourt’s UK and Irish customers up-to-date with News, Reviews, Events etc.
Meroncourt Europe was established in 1997 and since then we have expanded and grown extensively in both the product range available and the client base we cover.
“In Stock” Ali Wood interviews sales director Steve Walsh
Accessories distributor Meroncourt has been established for 14 years, starting out with just three staff in a small rental unit in Letchworth; humble beginnings for a company that now boasts 16 staff and a modern warehouse occupying 15,000 sq ft.
At the helm of operations is managing director Michael Mason, ably aided by sales director Steve Walsh, who told In Stock business has been booming over the last year, with accessories for one console in particular proving a hit, while PC peripherals remain robust.
“Trading has been strong and we have continued to show good growth,” said Walsh. “The bestselling products to date have been our console accessories, in particular for Wii, along with our PC gaming lines. Most recently the launch of the new Roccat gaming mouse has seen demand considerably outstrip supply. Our traditional PC accessory ranges continue to grow as more customers see the quality and margins they can achieve from these wide range of brands.”
One of the most notable changes over recent years is the huge increase in Internet sales. “Five
years ago we were one of the first suppliers into e-tail and we found the big hurdle was gaining
consumer confidence in shopping online – distance selling,” said Walsh. “The reluctance and nervousness about buying online is dwindling every day, as more and more people grasp this purchasing process and benefit from the savings.”
Over the next 12 months Meroncourt is eyeing further expansion in the market with new deals lined up, which it hopes to announce in the New Year. “Realistically there is room for more growth
in 2009/2010, however with the current economic set of circumstances, if we maintain our current position we will still be very happy,” said Walsh.
In the more immediate future, Meroncourt expects continued demand for Wii and DS accessories and also the high end PC gaming range. “We have new products being released almost weekly at the moment and our pre-order book is looking very healthy,” said Walsh.
Meroncourt is also set to continue to swell its product range, with many added on a monthly basis. According to Walsh there’s some “really innovative high end gaming products, new multimedia headsets and speakers. Then there are also new mice, keyboards, controllers for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, along with a continued expansion in our lines of accessories for Wii and DS.
Loyalty Counts
While offering something for everyone, Meroncourt prides itself in being a “great supporter” of the independent retailer: “We were one of the first and at the time only distributor who concentrated on helping this market grow. With out continual expansion we have moved into selling to a broad customer base from the indies to retail and now e-tail.”
As a way of attracting new customers, and rewarding existing ones, Meroncourt makes sure promotions and special offers are up to date. Recently it has been promoting its drop shipping
service and a sale or return campaign, which encourages customers to try both new and existing
brands. There are also starter packs to make ordering easier and weekly incentives to encourage
people to order more product.
With such a broad range of product, Meroncourt finds it doesn’t really have any main competition, just different ones in different markets. “We think we have the edge over our competitors by offering a much more personal service with dedicated account managers who monitor the whole order processing route,” said Walsh. “They don’t just take orders from our customers. We react and respond quickly with everything from enquiries and technical support through to RMA.”
However, with its experience in trading, reassuring attitude to business and comprehensive range of products, you can be sure Meroncourt will be supporting retailers for many years to come. For more information call 01462 680060 or visit http://www.meroncourt.co.uk.
