DSGI on the home run with Fraikin

14 January 2008

DSG international plc has taken delivery of 105 Iveco Eurocargos and 20 Iveco Dailys as part of a full service contract hire agreement for its franchise fleet of commercial vehicles.

The 7.5 tonne Iveco Eurocargo 75SE16’s will operate from DSGi’s 15 regional home delivery service depots in the UK, and will be used to make many of the annual home deliveries of plasma TVs, computers, fridges and washing machines which total 1 million per annum to both internet and in-store customers.

Corgi registered DSGi crews, the biggest suppliers of gas appliances in the UK, will be making deliveries of cookers and other gas products to customers in Inverness, Aberdeen and rural Scotland using the 3.5-tonne Daily 35C12 chassis cabs. Vehicles will be on the fleet for four years and are covered by a servicing, breakdown and tyre maintenance agreement, which also includes replacement vehicle cover and road fund licensing.

Peter Mann, General Manager Transport Operations at DSGi, explains: “When sourcing new vehicles for our fleet we prefer to work with a supplier which can offer a complete one-stop-shop of services – ranging from assistance with defining exact vehicle specifications, through to delivery, finance, ongoing maintenance, KPI reporting and full contract support.”

“Our business operates seven days a week, so we need a contract hire agreement which reflects this, and Fraikin has been able to deliver in every area for us.

“The new Eurocargo and Daily vehicles join a long line-up of Iveco’s operated by DSGi. The Iveco range is tried and tested in our fleet, and we find they offer excellent reliability and fuel economy, combined with competitive whole life costs. This makes them particularly cost-effective to operate on a four year contract hire deal,” he adds.

Both the Eurocargos and Dailys are fitted with box bodies built by Aire Truck Bodies, liveried by Elite Graphics, together with Ratcliff tail-lifts, and are expected to cover up to 48,000 miles per year respectively. Maintenance will be managed by Fraikin’s Customer Service Centre, which is based within its headquarters in Coventry and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

DSGi is Europe's leading specialist electrical retailing group. It operates a multi-channel approach to electrical retailing and trades through more than 1,200 retail outlets and online stores, spanning 27 countries and employing 40,000 people. More than 100 million customers shop in-store and online with DSGi every year. Amongst its best known brands in the UK are Currys, PC World, Dixons.co.uk and Pixmania.com.