The trade market for hand and power tools continues to expand, driven by construction, manufacturing, and various other industries. Professionals rely on efficient, high-performance tools including drills, saws, and sanders to enhance productivity and precision in their work.
The market’s landscape is evolving with advancements in technology, leading to the development of smarter, more ergonomic tools designed to improve efficiency and safety. Additionally, sustainability and eco-consciousness are increasingly influencing consumer choices, fostering a demand for environmentally friendly and energy-efficient tools.
The Ireland & UK hand and power tool trade market continues to exhibit resilience, adapting to changing
consumer preferences, technological advancements, and a growing emphasis on sustainability, ensuring a promising future for this dynamic industry.
The DIY market for hand and power tools is also a robust and diverse sector characterised by innovation, accessibility, and a growing demand for quality products. Both industry sectors boast a strong tradition of craftsmanship, fostering a culture where individuals and professionals take pride in their projects, from home renovations to large-scale constructions.
In recent years, there has been a notable surge in the popularity of do-it-yourself projects, fuelled by TV
programmes, online tutorials, social media influencers, and a desire for customisation. This trend has driven the sales of hand tools catering for hobbyists and enthusiasts eager to tackle home improvement tasks themselves.
International Tool Industries grow from strength to strength
In 2023, International Tool Industries (ITI) developed additional business with their existing customers nationwide and opened many new store accounts.
Benman, the hand and power tool accessories brand has been a great success since entering the Irish marketplace officially five years ago. Its product range has been identified for its unrivalled quality and is becoming a recognised brand by the professional tradesperson.
FF Group Power Tools have also been well received by the hardware and building materials industry, covering a wide range of products from construction tools, petrol and electric garden tools, pressure washers and ITI’s very popular generators and compressors. With close to two hundred variations of tools
available, there is something to meet everyone’s requirements and budget.
As the company prepares to enter a new year and new challenges ahead, they are delighted to announce new members to their business development and sales team to develop the ongoing growth of sales and market expansion.
- Gary Coyle (Business Development Manager)
- Rory Leyden (Brand Manager for FF Group Products)
- Gabriel Leslie (Sales Account Manager) West of Ireland
Collectively the new appointments have thirty plus years’ of sales experience in the hardware and garden products industry. They bring great knowledge to the company and already are making positive changes to the daily activities in sales development. They have earned great respect from their previous roles throughout the country, something that will stay with them throughout their careers. Don O’Toole (General Manager) says “We are delighted to have our new appointments as a part of our sales team, and we remain confident they will achieve much success in all their endeavours with the company”. We expect 2024 will be a year that we will be focusing on adding more experienced salespersons to our team and look forward to meeting more interested parties”.
For further information contact Rory Lyden, rory@internationaltoolindustries.com
Varo offer local, professional after sales support
Varo, the Belgian company known for their Powerplus and Kreator brands of power tools, hand tools and accessories offer local and professional (after) sales support for all customers located in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
For advice, spare parts or repairs of any Varo products, customers can contact Tooltech Industrial Equipment Ltd. They are Varo’s trusted and approved service partner. Made up of a team of highly skilled and regularly trained professionals, Tooltech is supported by Varo for the repair and maintenance of their tools and devices.
Varo strives to offer high-quality products with a long lifespan. However, should something go wrong, ToolTech follows a strict internal procedure so they can promptly deal with any customer queries, complaints or suggestions.
Each case is treated fairly, confidentially and with respect. They can be contacted at accounts@tooltechltd.com or by telephone at 048 703 59493.
Thanks to Tooltech’s efficiency, e-mails will receive a response within two working days and cases will be resolved within five working days. Should the issue take longer to resolve, customers are given the name of a contact and telephone number of a higher authority that will further deal with the issue.
Varo: expertise, quality, support
Thanks to more than 60 years of experience, Varo has perfected their knowledge on DIY material and its
distribution. Clients can also make use of this expertise to develop their own brands and products under a private label.
With house brands Powerplus, Kreator and Premion, Varo carries an extensive range of power tools, garden tools, hand tools and accessories to accommodate anyone, from the casual DIY-er to the tireless professional.
In addition to a comprehensive product range, service is of the utmost importance, which is why Varo has access to some exceptional in-house departments:
- Packaging, catalogues, and point of sales material are designed and produced by Varo’s very own graphics team, so designs are consistent, professional, and readily available. Each client can be supplied with their own displays, posters, and other POS material.
- The large distribution centre of over 21,000 m² is located in Belgium. More than 40,000 pallets are
permanently kept in stock, which is how Varo can guarantee flexibility, continuous availability, and speedy delivery. - The technical service department gladly offers support to customers with any questions they might have. Customers can also count on them for repairs, maintenance and procuring spare parts in order to guarantee the best possible after-sales service for all our products. Apart from our local technical department, Varo has offices in Asia monitoring the production facilities to guarantee overall adherence to quality requirements and standards.
These services combined with first-rate sales support allow Varo to maintain successful long-term relationships with clients, both local and international.
For further information, please contact Les Ashley on 087 440 8077 or email les.ashley@varo.com
www.varo.com
Tool maintenance to make your tools last longer
In an ideal world, we’d all carefully wipe down our garden tools with an oiled cloth after every use and sharpen cutting tools after every cut. And certainly, when we bed our tools down for the winter, we’d be giving them a thorough inspection, replacing worn blades and giving them a thorough oiling.
Although we know that our tools perform at their best when given a little TLC, we’re also realists, so we’re making no judgements if tools got pushed to one side as winter closes in.
However, winter is a good time to inspect and service your tools, before gardening becomes hectic once again.
Here are some of our tips for your customers from Bellota on how to go about this.
Tip 1: Tool Cleaning
Firstly, make sure your tools are thoroughly clean. You’ll need a bucket of warm water, some detergent and a brush with good stiff bristles. A washing-up sponge with a gentle scourer on one side might also be useful. If there’s any really heavy dried-on mud, first knock off what you can with the brush. This might not be possible, if you garden with heavy clay soil, and your tools might need a good soak before you even get started. Once the worst of the mud has been removed, wash the tools in the warm water and detergent, scrubbing them with the brush until they’re clean – and the scourer might come in handy for any dried sap on loppers or secateur blades.
Rinse the tools in clean water, and either let them air dry, or dry them with a towel.
Step 2: Tool Sharpening
Anything with a blade will perform much better if it has a really sharp edge. We all know that chefs are passionate about keeping their knives sharp – and if we need sharp knives to cut meat, shouldn’t keen gardeners insist on sharp blades to cut living, growing, healthy plant stems?
Not only will a sharpened cutting tool be easier to use, it’s also much kinder to your plants. A sharp blade can slice through a stem cleanly, whereas a blunt blade can crush stems as it struggles to complete the cut. This leaves the plant with a ragged wound that’s more open to disease, and more difficult to heal.
It’s wise to use the right sharpener for the job in hand. Bellota offer a variety of sharpeners, from a miniature steel suitable for pocket knives, to a 28cm long scythe stone, a traditional round stone that’s suitable for heritage agricultural tools, as well as for their larger garden tools .It can also be used to give a lovely sharp edge to spades, hoes, etc. If you have a pair of Bellota Shears, they have the perfect sharpener for those, too: their trimming shear sharpener. Each pair of trimming shears is hand set by eye at their factory in Legazpi, Spain, to be perfectly aligned for superb performance; the topiary trimming
shear sharpener allows both sides to be trimmed in situ, preserving the all-important ‘set’ of the blades.
Tip 3: Tool Protection
The application of oil will protect the tool. Simply rub an oily cloth over the surface of the blade (for cutting tools) or tool head (for stainless steel tools) to leave a thin film of oil. This will protect the metal by creating a barrier between the metal and the air and moisture that can combine to form rust. This corrosion is less of a worry for rust-resistant stainless-steel tools, but protection is important for tools with high-carbon steel heads or blades, The higher carbon content in the steel of these tools makes them extremely strong, but the formulation makes them more vulnerable to rust.
The oil also lubricates any moving parts, such as where the blades of a shears pass over each other as the tool is closed, giving a smoother action, less wear on the blades for longer life, and improved performance.
One timeless tip for keeping your tools clean, sharp and oiled year-round; Keep a bucket of sand in your shed. Empty a good amount of boiled linseed oil or motor oil into the sand and mix it in. Then after each use, plunge the tool head into the sand several times to clean and sharpen it – and it gets a light coating of oil at the same time. You might even choose to store your tools standing in the sand over the winter.
These tool maintenance tasks are strangely satisfying and will certainly help keep your green fingers occupied while you wait for the season to really take off. It’s a great feeling to step back and view with pride all your refreshed garden tools; clean, sparkling in the sun and raring to get to work. And the time spent will certainly pay you back, both in terms of making gardening tasks easier, and in terms of the longevity of your gardening armoury, as well.
Top tip of the year
Raking – Letting fallen leaves stay on the lawn will leave brown spots on the grass until next Spring and worse are known to kill the grass. Leaves can take a long time to break down in a composter, it is best to keep them in a bag or container once you have raked them up. This will also make a lovely leaf mulch for next year’s planting.
Good luck with the Christmas seasonal business. Most of all enjoy your family time and we look forward to being of service to you in 2024. For more information, please contact les.ashley@bellota.com Mob: 087 440 8077
