O

nlyascooterist living in a

cave without Wi-Fi can fail to

have noticed the drama that’s

recently afflicted Scomadi,

but with the legal battle now

finalised, Scomadi is free to pursue its own

product lines.Asignificant development in

the brand’shistory is the departure of

Scomadi’sinnovators Frank Sanderson and

Paul Melici from the UK distribution

company.Whilst they’ll both remain

actively involved in ScomadiWorldwide,

handing over the reins of UK distribution

means they’re now able to devote their

talents to product development.

Expanding to cope

Steppingupto the plate are the well-

established team behind Preston-based

Scootermoda, Spencer Coe, Nigel Godwin

and Peter Reid. It was Peter who welcomed

me to their new showroom on London Road,

just outside Preston. “Frank andIhave

known one another since our teens,” he

began. “At Scootermoda we’ve always been

big supporters of both the brand and the

people behind it. When the opportunity arose

to take on the UK distribution franchise it

was an offer too good to pass up.” As part of

their business plan the team have moved

their base to larger premises and, as

Spencer explained, this will ensure the

longevity of both Scootermoda and Scomadi

UK. “Experience shows that it’soverhead

costs that can catch distributors out. By

putting both our brands under one roof we’re

able to spread costs, but they’ll operate as

separate businesses.”

Getting in order

The latter point is one that the team is keen

to emphasise. “We’re determined that there’ll

be transparency in everything we do,” said

Nigel. “At Scootermoda we’ve worked with

several distributors, and how they do

business affects the experience of both

dealers and customers alike.” When asked

to clarify what he means, Nigel paused and

then said: “Orderingamachine has

sometimes beenaleap of faith. It shouldn’t

be like that.We’ll only distribute Scomadi so

our attention isn’t spread acrossanumber of

competing brands. Ifacustomer wants to

buyaparticular colour of Scomadi it

shouldn’t be their job to track it down.We

know where the stock is and if necessary

should be able to arrangeatransfer between

shops. Likewise, dealers should be able to

see what stock is on its way to the UK and

when it’slikely to arrive. The ideal situation

for us is to sell scooters whilst they’re in

The new team: Spencer,

Nigel and Peter.

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