By Sarah Walker
An electrical wholesaler which supplies to a number of flagship organisations on Aycliffe Business Park, as well as the trade and the general public, is under new ownership.
Dan Mooney is the new owner of Upex Electrical Distributors at Newton Aycliffe, after purchasing the company from previous owners Gary Monk and John Upex.
Dan has owned Upex Electrical Distributors’ sister company in Leeming Bar since 2018.
He says that all three Upex depots in Newton Aycliffe, Leeming Bar and Thirsk, have traditionally operated as separate entities, independent of one another in their respective regions, across Durham and North Yorkshire.
However, he is looking to take a more collaborative approach across the three depots, while retaining the same high levels of customer service the firm has become synonymous with.
“We’ve got a great team at Aycliffe providing great customer service and it’s business as usual in that respect,” says Dan.
“I’m relying on them heavily because they know the business inside out.
“Craig Slater, David Land and Colin Torr – they know the business and customer base very well in Newton Aycliffe and have great relationship with the customers I’m only just beginning to know.
“Those three lads have got more than 70 years’ wholesale experience and with me added to the team, it gets us up to 99 years.”
Upex has been supplying electrical products and components to the public and trade since 1987.
At Leeming Bar, the “great team” there have a combined 150 years’ of industry experience.
Now, Dan is looking to draw on the collective knowledge and experience in the business to grow organically and at a steady pace.
Dan says: “Our customers on Aycliffe Business Park include 3M, Tallent, Ineos and Lidl regional distribution centre, but we want to expand the customer base in Newton Aycliffe a little bit more.
“Like any business, we are just looking for a bit of growth on what we already have. Nice, gentle progressive growth.”
The firm is looking for new business to business customers, as well as expanding further into products for the home.
The specialist in LED products stocks more than 5,000 product lines and has recently introduced solar panel kits for homes and small businesses, as well as electric vehicle charging points.
The “affordable” smart electric vehicle charging point from Evec is proving to be a popular addition to the firm’s product lines, with stock available at all three depots.
“We’ve sold quite a few units of our competitively priced entry level system already,” Dan says.
“The whole renewable side is growing and we are supplying solar panels – single house kits with everything ready to go in the package.
“That’s quite unique, quite new.
“The renewables side including EV charge points are products that are new to our businesses, but we believe they will become more and more popular.”
In the next couple of months, the firm will be taking an apprentice into Newton Aycliffe, something which Dan describes as an “exciting development” as it looks to nurture the next generation of exceptional customer advisors.
“The apprentice will be taking on everything a day-to-day wholesale job entails – talking to customers, serving on the trade counter, unpacking boxes, promoting new product lines to customers – the whole job,” he says.
“Hopefully, we will give them a range of skills and a breadth of knowledge and they will enjoy the whole job.
“It’s a really good opportunity for somebody and we are hoping to try to get someone at Leeming Bar as well.”
Dan explains that the firm is also well-placed to recommend high quality electricians for any job.
“We have a good relationship with a lot of good electricians, developed at Aycliffe over more than 30 years,” he says.
“We are a long-established business on the park with a good reputation with the trade, our industry clients and the public – and long may that continue.”
For more information about Upex Electrical Distributors, visit upexelectrical.co.uk.