Parker Hannifin : Global engineering company opens its first London hydraulics and pneumatics self-serve supermarket

Nov 17,2014

Global engineering company opens its first London hydraulics and pneumatics self-serve supermarket

Enfield, UK, 17 November 2014 - Parker Hannifin, the global leader in motion and control technologies, in partnership with distributor Hopespare Limited, opened the first London ParkerStore last week - creating the first self-serve supermarket for hydraulics and pneumatics products in the capital.

The new store, run by Hopespare at Woodall Road, Enfield feels more like a traditional DIY shop than a trade counter. Products are organised into categories and part numbers, which means customers can browse at leisure for items such as air brake parts, couplers and filters.

There's an in-store 'while-you-wait' hose assembly service, so people can take a seat, enjoy a drink and watch their product being made. All store staff have received the British Fluid Power Association's skills training programme, and are qualified to assemble a hose correctly and safely.

Commenting on the launch, store manager Richard Durrant said: "We've moved away from the traditional trade counter format to a much more relaxed shopping experience, complete with customer seating and refreshments.

"People can pop in, browse around and handle product without any commitment to purchase. They decide what they want for themselves and just tell us if they want to buy something or need help solving technical problems.

"Our team has loads of experience in hydraulics and pneumatics and we're used to handling all sorts of queries - from very technical industry problems, to diagnosing what's needed from a picture on a customer's mobile!"

"As an official Parker store, we also sell genuine parts and fittings that are guaranteed to match. So it's much easier then ever to buy hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical and motion control products in north London."

The new format store is already proving a hit with customers. Ben Bradford of Glendining Highways said: "We buy all sorts of hydraulic parts and air tools and with old trade counters, you can't see anything. This shop is much better. Instead of relying on a book, you have loads of products on view and advice to help you get the right parts, first time round."

Rob Mead of BIZ Karts added: "It's really well organized. Everything's clean and modern, and the products are nicely displayed.  They've made hoses and fittings for us and the staff were great to deal with, we wouldn't go anywhere else now."

The store opening hours are 8.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday and 9.00am to 12.00noon on Saturday. Customers can also call the technical helpline on 0208 804 9001.

About Parker Hannifin:
With annual sales of $13 billion in fiscal year 2014, Parker Hannifin is the world's leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems, providing precision-engineered solutions for a wide variety of mobile, industrial and aerospace markets. The company employs approximately 57,500 people in 50 countries around the world. Parker has increased its annual dividends paid to shareholders for 58 consecutive fiscal years, among the top five longest-running dividend-increase records in the S&P 500 index.www.parker.com or its investor information website at www.phstock.com.

Kerry James, PR Manager, UK and Ireland Tel: [phone] Email: [e-mail]