Member Article

It’s in the BOXT for former Help-Link directors

Three former directors of Leeds-based boiler specialists Help-Link have launched an online boiler business. Mel Butler, the former chief executive and co-founder of Help-Link, chief operating officer Alan Dickinson and finance director Andrew Kerr have set up BOXT, an internet-based business selling fitted central heating boilers. Keith Jones, the former managing director of Wolseley’s Plumb Center – the world’s largest trade plumbing and heating products distributor – has joined them as chairman in the new venture which does away with salesmen, surveyors and call centres.

Already being described as a ‘market disrupter’ BOXT, which started trading in March, is currently achieving the second highest number of fitted boiler sales in the UK. BOXT has invested £3m in developing a website that not only steers consumers through the decision making process but allows them to select the boiler brand, delivery date and installation time. Prices, typically 40% less than the market leader, are fixed according to the model selected and availability. Customers are then asked to upload a selection of photographs to enable BOXT’s technicians to verify the order and installation arrangements.

“It’s early days,” explains Mel Butler, “but the response to BOXT has been absolutely fantastic. We’re getting really positive reviews from customers and are already the top rated boiler installation company on Trust Pilot. It’s a totally new concept; no-one else is offering home owners the opportunity to buy their replacement boiler in this way. “Once people get their heads around the idea that they can save a lot of time and money buying a boiler online and have it delivered directly to them at home, they keep asking us why this hasn’t been done before! It’s just like you might buy a washing machine online, obviously the fitting is a little more complicated but that’s where our nationwide network of gas approved engineers comes in.”

Orders taken via the website are dispatched nationwide via the supply chain directly from top tier manufacturers such as Worcester Bosch, Baxi and Vokera with everything the installer will need boxed in one self-contained package.

Alan Dickinson continues: “Mel, Keith and I have been in this market all our working lives, collectively we have over 100 years experience between us – we really do know about fitting boilers! People think that having a replacement boiler installed is a complex, and therefore expensive process, but really it shouldn’t be. We want to strip away all the unnecessary extras and give customers a simple, no fuss, low cost fitted boiler buying option.

“Using the internet as our shop front is very exciting, it’s so accessible and consumers are becoming more and more comfortable buying this way. For those people who want to cut out the middle man, make their own informed choices and save money, this is the perfect answer.”

BOXT currently employs 50 people at its headquarters in Century Way, Thorpe Park, Leeds. The new company started trading on 9th March and over the next twelve months it plans to establish an installer network of 1,000 engineers countrywide.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by BOXT .