FRANCHISED HOSE SERVICE BMI APPOINTS NEW SALES DIRECTOR

Russell Mundell joins BMI Hose

BMI Hose (UK) Limited, based in the Hilton Cross Business Park Wolverhampton, has just announced the appointment of Russell Mundell as Sales Director. Mundell is the former Sales Director of Pirtek (UK) Limited, the current market leader in the emergency hose replacement market, and as such he knows franchising and the emergency on-site hose replacement market inside out.

The founder and Chief Executive of BMI Hose, Simon Moxham, is the former European Commercial Director of Pirtek and the two men worked together for over 7 years.

Moxham comments; "I'm delighted that Russell is joining us today. He brings with him a wealth of experience in the emergency on-site hose replacement market and of franchising. Russell was with Pirtek virtually from the start and worked, for a short time, on a van out of Park Royal before moving to Pirtek (UK) where he worked for 18 years. Russell's arrival will enable us to accelerate our role out of the network and to expand our customer base".

BMI Hose, a franchised network of hose centres, operate in the emergency on-site hose replacement market with a wide range of customers in the construction, materials handling, industrial service and manufacturing sectors. The market as a whole is worth around £85m p.a. in the UK. The service operates in a similar way to the AA or the RAC with customers calling an emergency hot-line number (08452 10 9 8 7 6) to call on the BMI service, at any time of the day or night.

The roll-out of depots is going to plan. The first pilot Hose Centre opened in Dudley in November 2007, just a few miles from the corporate headquarters in Wolverhampton. The second BMI Hose Centre, and the firs franchised operation, opened in Cramlington, just North of Newcastle on Tyne, on February 4^th and this depot is already adding vans and engineers to cope with customer demand. BMI Bristol and BMI Reading both opened their doors in May.

Moxham and Mundell expect to be opening one Hose Centre per month in the balance of 2008 as the franchise network expands throughout the UK. "We have a lot of interested people in our new business who bring with them local knowledge, enthusiasm and the desire to build an excellent service business, comments Mundell. I am looking forward to working with Simon and the team to build a viable alternative to the market leader. We have world class products in Bridgestone hydraulic hose and Intertraco fittings and a really customer orientated approach to convenience, service and value."

As well as providing a 24 hour a day, 365 day a year on-site emergency service BMI depots sell a wide range of pressure washer hoses and accessories, hydraulic components, hydraulic and engine oils, greases, oil spill products and oil containment equipment.

ENDS

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