established in the 1950’s and acquired by the current owners in the early 1970’s, this business, a family firm, is one of the leading specialists in the installation, maintenance and repair of television/radio aerials and satellite equipment in the region. Operating across a fairly wide area across the sussex and kent borders including seaford, eastbourne, newhaven and hastings, truly independent, this business offers the fullest range of services providing the highest quality of satellite, home entertainment and aerial installations, service and maintenance services. These include analogue terrestrial aerial installations, digital terrestrial aerial installations for freeview, vhf/fm and dab digital radio, ‘in home’ distribution systems, sky, freesat and freesat hd satellite installations as well as installing extra tv and telephone extension points. Working primarily in the domestic sector, the business is equally comfortable working in multi dwelling communal accommodation situations – apartment blocks, nursing homes, schools, hotels, hospitals and guest houses, for example. The cornerstone to the success of this business is the very high levels of customer service the business provides. As well as being polite, courteous, punctual and respectful of customers' homes and property, all members of staff have obtained their nvq in electrical & electronic servicing (signal reception) level are trained through continuous professional development so as to be able to work with all of the latest equipment as technology develops. The business is also one of the few companies who are registered digital installers – ensuring that all staff are also crb checked and fully insured to carry out any work on customers’ property. Not surprisingly the business can boast an excellent client list which includes electrical contractors, managing agents and housing associations with which this business has very longstanding relationships and which generate a large proportion of repeat work. This is a very well managed, easy to run business. Annual turnover is consistently in the region of £300,000, generating gross profits of approximately 55% and profits available to the owners of the business – a combination of pre-tax net profit, salary and significant pension contributions – in the financial year ending may 2009, totaling almost £100,000. As such this represents an excellent acquisition opportunity for an existing operator in the aerial installation sector to acquire a presence in the kent/sussex coast area or for a new entrant to enter the sector by acquiring a very well established, highly profitable business with an excellent reputation. Key strengths: operating for almost forty years, across the coast, on both sides of the kent and sussex border, this is a very well established business benefiting from very high levels of awareness within its catchment area. Carefully managed, under the stewardship of the current owners, this business has always provided a high quality of service, resisting the temptation to over-schedule and disappoint its customers. It carries a wide range of equipment – to meet all requirements - ensuring a fast and full response. As a result the business has an excellent reputation, maintained by its staff. All staff are highly trained and experienced – installers receive in-house training lasting more than a year before being allowed out to jobs on their own. Aware that they are the best possible advert for the business, staff who are highly trained and experienced are polite, friendly, considerate and respectful of customers’ property. Concentrating on its core services of aerial installations rather than dabbling in other areas in which it is perfectly capable, but hardly specialist, the business enjoys high levels of referrals from businesses operating in adjacent sectors, such as electrical contractors working on projects in communal areas, for example. The business maintains an extensive base of satisfied customers, who value the company’s services. It also enjoys strong word of mouth recommendations and repeat business from customers – testimony to the high levels of customer satisfaction the business generates. Operating from former retail premises, despite being in a prominent, central location, overheads are low and consequently gross margins are high. Key opportunities: operating in a marketplace which is focused on continuously developing technology, there is an outstanding opportunity to build on the existing services and customer base of this company. With a strong demand for its services combined with a capacity to increase turnover, a new owner contributing fresh ideas and motivation will have every advantage of building on an excellent platform. The current market for this business’s services is stable and is forecast in the near and longer term for significant growth. The business is well positioned to take maximum advantage of this growth as it occurs. Formerly operating as a retailer, there is every opportunity to re-instate the retail side of the business even possibly moving into web based sales of equipment. But perhaps the biggest opportunity for this business is the government’s planned shut down of analogue television transmissions with the move to an all digital service, a change that is due to hit the local marketplace for this business in 2012. Consumer awareness of this very important change is growing now and already stimulating the market. This will generate an ever growing and very high levels of demand for new digital televisions and freesat satellite receivers, coupled with the need for digital aerial upgrades. Hand in hand with these developments is the increasing propensity for surround sound and the need for careful installation of the systems. The recent launch of high definition (hd) television is bringing the consumer the best picture and sound quality ever seen. As more and more channels move to hd, demand for hd ready televisions, lcd or plasma, will inevitably increase, along with the necessary upgrades to internal cabling and satellite receiving equipment. 3d television is a further development which will stimulate the market in the short to medium term. The market for digital communal aerial systems, typically in apartment buildings, is relatively immature. The company is also well placed to exploit this opportunity in the years ahead. Customer service: this business has achieved a superb and deserved reputation with its customers that is evidenced by the high number of word of mouth recommendations it receives, testament to the high level of service provided. It also clearly demonstrates a ‘we care’ ethos that is evident throughout. All customers receive the same high level of care and attention regardless of the size of the job. Realistic pricing, superb installation by fully qualified engineers working to the highest standards in the industry, guaranteed quality of service, with the promise of arriving on time and leaving the premises clean and tidy with all equipment checked and working before departure ensures this business maintains an excellent reputation built up over many years of operation.. Marketing and advertising: a permanent presence in the local marketplace for approximately forty years and benefiting from high levels of awareness, the business has no need for heavy investment in marketing and advertising. What advertising the business undertakes is limited to inclusions in the local directories – yellow pages, thomsons and the bt phone book and the occasional appearance in glossy magazine supplements and special features in the local press. The business has a very well designed and informative, easy to navigate website which performs very well in all of the major search engines for all appropriate search terms. By far the most effective form of marketing for the business however is the strong word of mouth recommendations the business receives, testimony to the very high levels of customer satisfaction the business generates.
