Brights Hardware expands into industrial and wholesale market

Industrial customers will now have a far bigger portfolio of products - including welding, abrasives, safety, industrial tools and power tools - at a more competitive price. The merger has afforded Brights the opportunity to create a focused and specialist division servicing the needs of industrial clients and not just building contractors and retail customers.

“Brights imports a wide range of our own products which retail under the Brights Stallion brand, distributed across eight Brights branches in the Western Cape. Trade and industrial customers can purchase this full Stallion range, plus all of the other 58,000 Brights products, at wholesale pricing on account at any of our branches – and orders will be delivered directly to the customer’s factory or business premises,” explains Orlando Luis, CEO of Brights.

Russell Benadie of Cape Engineering Supplies says that the Brights Industrial and Wholesale Suppliers division, which operates out of the Brights Blackheath branch and has access to the central distribution centre’s full stock holding, services an extensive range of industry sectors – any business that manufactures, repairs, maintains or services any kind of products – from food production equipment to large machinery, vehicles, boats and more.

“We distribute a vast range of products within daily use in any workshop or factory environment. Some of the products that we are specialists in include welding machines and welding accessories, power tools and accessories, generators, vacuum cleaners, lifting equipment, abrasives, compressors and air tools, general hand tools, specialised automotive tools, safety wear and much more.”

“We also have a team of well-trained technical external and internal sales representatives that are qualified to service all industrial areas within Cape Town, and who are completely dedicated to meeting the respective demands of manufacturers in the way of general workshop requirements and day-to-day consumables. We always aim to give all our customers a better shopping experience than ever before,” adds Benadie.

Growing imported products

He adds that another dominant reason for the merger was to be able to focus more attention on growing the range of imported products within the Stallion brand and to then offer this cost-effective range to other independent hardware stores and industrial resellers.

The two companies are both family businesses. Brights Hardware was founded in the Western Cape in 1971 by Orlando Luis’ parents, and was established as general dealer specialising in electrical contracting and repairs. Brights remains a family business and over the past 48 years has grown to comprise eight stores across Boston, Blackheath, Langebaan, Mitchells Plain, Montague Park, Plattekloof, Uitzicht and the new Brackengate store.

Cape Engineering supplies was established in 2007 by Russell and Lana Benadie and has also always been a family-run business serving the industrial market segment.