While the broker market of the last
two years has been weathered most successfully by introducers
holding fast to long-established business niches, meaningful growth
has only been seized by those with the ability to innovate at the
same time.
Axis Leasing ticks both boxes. Although the
Carmarthenshire intermediary has been underpinned by its focus on
sales aid for IT assets, it has been the development of vendor
programmes for the government’s Cycle to Work scheme that has
really helped the company in 2010.
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The scheme, which has seen Axis work with NHS
trusts, police authorities, the fire service, Nokia and BSkyB, has
boosted business volume to the tune of several hundred thousand
pounds a month, thanks to programmes operating through
hundreds of cycle shops nationwide.
While some contracts are funded by Axis’ own
book, the rest are brokered, with virtually all business proposed
to funders being converted.
Yet the cycle venture is new territory for the
company founded by GE Capital alumni Deb Chick and Geoff Mattey in
the 1980s.
“We have kept a close watch on how both finance
markets and technology have developed since then,” said Chick, “and
I am proud of the way we have managed to stay ahead of the game in
terms of tailoring vendor programmes.”
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By GlobalDataWhile Chick heads business development at Axis,
working on vendor programmes in the middle ticket IT sector, Mattey
manages the company’s national accounts dealing with suppliers such
as Toshiba, Panasonic, Ricoh and Konica, as well as directing the
commercial finance giant’s Minolta Rentals and Kenco Rentals
programmes.
As these job descriptions suggest, Axis is a
sales aid broker to its core. Yet it has not approached all sectors
of the market.
Chick said: “Over the last 12 years, we have
made a conscious decision to steer clear of anything other than ICT
[information and communication technologies] or high-tech assets.
This has protected us to an extent.”
As a result, many Axis funders “raised their
eyebrows” when it presented schemes for bicycles rather than IT
equipment.
While Axis will continue to develop its cycling
venture, the next step for the company is a return to more familiar
ground. Chick and Mattey are now looking to provide IT
funding for the rapidly changing schools sector. The brokerage is
working with several large IT suppliers to produce a new education
package.
Axis appears to be in a good position. The
company has grown consistently each year for a decade, with latest
financial results showing a 10% increase in turnover and 25%
increase in gross profit year-on-year.
Chick and Mattey recognise their success so far
has been built on spotting timely opportunities wherever they
arise.
Chick said: “We are a company constantly
looking to our markets to find the added value that gives our
reseller an edge.”
