German Scooter parts and accessory specialist SIP Scooter Shop hosted more than 50 scooter retailers at its annual ‘Dealer Day’ in February at the all-new 6,000 sq m “Palace of Scooter Loveliness” that hardcore self-confessed Vespa aficionados Alex Barth and Ralf Jodl opened two years ago to house the business they started in 1994.
Initially created to answer their own frustration in finding the scooter parts they needed as enthusiasts, today the company carries more than 24,000 scooter parts and accessories, nearly 2,000 of them under their own SIP brand.
After the registration and welcome there was first a breakfast in the Italian themed SIPERIA bar that is integrated into the on-site showroom - the “most travelled” dealer having come some 800 km to attend the event.
The German wholesaler hosted tours of the facility after some “welcome” words by sales manager Stephan Hufschmid; dealers were able to understand the logistics and management and quality control procedures that processes their orders, gain insights into the philosophy of the business and the range of parts available for use in their workshops and for sale in their stores, and see testing facilities such as the in-house dyno.
Brand new parts on show for the first time included SIP performance cable kits for Vespa and Lambretta that have never been available in volume before for the classic scooters, and new SIP performance ignitions for Vespa and Lambretta – ignitions with more than 110W and a flow and weight optimised engine fan wheel.
In addition, there were several seminars from the product management of SIP, highlighting the latest parts in inventory and top-sellers, with the theme being “POS - additional sales in the workshop”.
Pirelli was on site with their Sales Manager Klaus Thönig and their current scooter tyres range, and there was also plenty of time to network while enjoying Pizza in the SIPERIA or later at a dealer dinner. However, Jodl points to the occasion being far from a one-way exchange as it gives SIP the invaluable feedback any business needs in order to better serve their customers and help move their dealers’ businesses forward in the next 12 months.
www.sip-scootershop.com
