Snorkel and Leach Lewis sign UK distribution agreement

Snorkel and Leach Lewis, an independent equipment distributor, have agreed a distribution partnership covering the whole of the UK.

The venture will operate as Snorkel UK and started trading on 1 December. Frank Iszard from Leach Lewis will lead the new division, supported by Snorkel's UK major accounts manager, Mark Yarnold.

Snorkel UK will be the official distributor for Snorkel in the UK, although it is not a completely exclusive arrangement. Mr Yarnold will continue to sell direct to the UK major accounts - the national rental groups - and previous dealers in the UK, such as APS, will also still be involved in selling Snorkel machines.

IPS will remain as the main source for Snorkel's after sales service and parts in the UK.

For Snorkel, the deal gives it access to the large number of small and mid-sized plant hire companies in the UK. Leach Lewis is a well known supplier to these companies and handles major brands such as Bomag, Atlas Copco, Manitou, Kubota, Thwaites and Atlas Copco. It was also selling the Pop-Up scissor lifts in the south east of England.

Snorkel said the Leach Lewis will offer a "substantial" machine inventory and access to asset financing.

Mark Yarnold of Snorkel said; "There are clear signs that UK demand for aerial lifts will return in 2011. Working with Leach Lewis we can now offer our customers the flexibility to react faster, and grow their fleets, as demand increases."

Leach Lewis' Frank Iszard said the company had over 75 years of experience in developing markets for construction and industrial equipment and offered "significant expertise in finding its customers the right finance package, even during the downturn."

Peter Whittall, managing director of Leach Lewis, said: "By combining our significant resources, we believe we can provide UK customers with an opportunity to make Snorkel a key partner in their growth plans.

"As the market demand returns, availability of product combined with effective financing solutions and investment in aftermarket support makes Snorkel a very attractive proposition for the competitive UK market."

Snorkel UK will be introduced to many of the UK's independent access rental companies next week during a meeting of the Access Link association. The organisation is holding its winter meeting at Snorkel's main production facility in the North East of England.