Page 27 - BOSS Today Issue 15

Special report

SaFe

aS hOUSeS

hile there may be a mixed
Wverdict on the state of the
shredder market in the office
channel, sales of another key
security item – safes – seem as
buoyant as ever. GfK data says
volume sales of cash boxes and
safes rose sharply by 66.3 per cent
between July and August this
year.
But anyone who thinks this
might be a result of business’s fears
over the wet weather and floods
we had over the summer would
be wrong.
Jane Quinn, General Manager
of Safes UK, which for the past A Wertheim AKT-0299 safe available from Safes UK
15 years has been the UK arm a safe. The company has also box. “One of our dealers recently
of Safes International, selling produced special data safes that went to see a graphic designer
(Dutch-built) De Raat safes, says can protect software and disks who had initially only inquired
some of her products may be from the damaging caused by about an office refurbishment, but
water resistant (so they will not magnets, for example. And it ended up buying several fire-
be affected by a faulty sprinkler, is not just the worry of theft resistant filing cabinets as well,”
for example), but they are not from people breaking into the she says.
waterproof (so they would not premises that can be catered for: Another quirk is that the
necessarily survive a flood). De Raat’s range also includes UK customer, unlike his or
She says her company’s main small safes that can be locked her European counterparts,
focus is around selling the fire- away inside desk drawers, away has embraced the idea of
resistant properties of its safes from unscrupulous employees. online buying much more
and cupboards, particularly with The company is a wholesaler enthusiastically. “We were one of
arson rates in the UK currently on selling directly through a dealer the first companies to distribute
the rise. “Statistics show that 80 network, although Quinn says it safes through the internet,” she
per cent of businesses which are often offers to talk to its customers’ says, “and many of our dealers
affected by a fire and have not customers on their behalf. in the UK are now internet only.
taken necessary precautions have Such activity has helped her They still need to have staff,
closed down within a year,” she gain a considerable detailed because you have people asking
says. view of market. One of its quirks, questions. But we find a very
Once again, however, fear of ID she says, is that safes are a good different situation in Europe,
theft and other types of theft and way of gaining access to a new where they still like showrooms.
breaches of confidentiality have customer, particularly if they don’t The marketing there also tends to
also proved a strong influence on necessarily view what they are be a lot more subtle, and a lot less
more companies opting to buy buying as an uninspiring metal obvious.”

December 2012/January 2013 | BOSS TODAY 27

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