Market Research

[You fly oui drive]

I am in the very early stages of exploring into a business venture.As everyone is well aware more and more British citizens are moving thier lives and homes to France,the household goods and individual belongings are already catered for with the endless amount of reliable removal companies.

I have had an idea of setting a company up to drive the customers vehicles to their new home for them,so then the customers could then take the less stressful option of flying there or if so wished by rail.

I am posting this message in anticipation of the expert knowledge which is no doubt on this site,so I have a few queries which I hope soneone will reply to

:- Would it at all viable?

:- Is the service been ever requsted to anyones memory ?

:- Is it already being done and is it a success ?

:- Do many ex-pats take their vehicles with them ?

I would be very much appretiated if someone could advise me with any of these questions

[Russethouse]

How about driving back to the UK with the empty vans for customers who have moved themselves ?

[P]

Just one fly in the ointment with driving the van back - the drivers have to be present when hiring so that the driving licences can be examined.

[andyh4]

Not sure how this proposal is going to work, since presumably the car owner is going to want to drive to the airport to catch his plane and will presumably need his car at the other end to get from the airport to his destination.  So since the car cannot be at both locations it looks as if car hire is going to be needed - which is probably what they do anyway.

 

Sorry to be a downer

[Val_2]

In my experience and from seeing others move here, you need your car or van to get here as you stillhave items that you will use right upto the very last moment of leaving for good and especially if you have children too. Sorry, but I really think this idea won't take off - people like to organise themselves and then sort out their vehicles afterwards. what about those folks with animals to transport here?

[Val_2]

I forgot to mention logistics too of getting here by public transport. Where we live in west of Brittany, there is one airport which would serve us in the UK conveniently, this one being two hours drive away at either end and the other closer airport goes to different cities in the UK. You then have the problem of getting yourself say to London  and then to Paris by train,then on the metro to Gare Montparnasse and then a three hour TGV journey before being dumped 12 miles from where we live - not a journey I would wish to make. There are not that many convenient airports here in France without a long trip for many folks when they land and the cheapie companies cannot be relied upon to stay forever.

[You fly oui drive]

Many thanks everyone for your advice, i understand the logistics would be the biggest stumbling block with this project,however I still believe there is a service to be offered in this case wheather it be to the average home owner or maybe to the higher valued market where the customer will maybe find it easier to travel between airport and the new home without his own vehicle being present.A car hire company has been very helpful with their advice in the the fact of they will in most cases be able to deliver a hire car to the destination ready for my return journey to England or to the nearest airport in France.

Mnay Thanks David

[Linnorton]

Have you explored the possibilities of regular runs between France and UK by lowest possible price crossing, bringing must have items back for ex-pats.  At the moment I want a sofa bed I've seen in MFI and  flat pack kitchen units from B&Q. I will need copious amounts of paint as well.  If you have an address in UK where deliveries could be made from internet orders there may just be some sense in having a collection point in France; You couldn't cover it all but I'd be happy to drive for a couple of hours with car and trailer to pick up the stuff I need as long as the cost is less than a ferry crossing for car and trailer on the Western Channel. I live in Manche (50)

 

[You fly oui drive]

I would be interested in that idea of bringing essential goods for ex-pats across to France so if anybody else would like this service please e-mail me

[Ty Korrigan]

Good luck...I think you will need it!

I have seen all sorts of bizzare minority services offered from massage/hypnotherepy in your gite to counseling but I can not imagine the owners of these businesses with a full agenda ever. At best scrabbling around for a few euros yes.

Seems like alot of effort for what is a logisticaly difficult and select service. I have never heard of any-one bemoaning the lack of such a service ever.

Of course you could always aim for the rich...

 

[Ty Korrigan]

Mad I say!

You would need a truck full of goods and with the exception of paint prehaps, are goods, that are generally sought, that much cheaper to make it worth the while and are these people going to pay you a decent fee...? Then there is the problem of returning faulty goods... the chain just gets longer...

The centralisation of the logistics of super markets is a good example. Every time you move a tin of beans it costs. How many tins of beans would you have to move to make it worth your while?

(ie) what size of vehicle/ ferry ticket / fuel / frequency / thats alot of IKEA sofas and paint to cover that lot. Just get a job in a factory and save your self the head ache of it all!

Realistic not negative

[You fly oui drive]

My response to you ty is that I already have a job in a factory which as boring as hell so I am looking to do something more adventerous with my life aswell as offering I think a much needed service which I believe CAN work.As for the returns section there is no reason I acnt offer the same service but in reverse as long as the customer deals with the admin with the company.W ith the internet now customers can order their goods a nd have them delivered to my address and I will deliver them directly to their home in France.

Transport is not a problem I can assure anyone and if I have enough drops on a trip the cost to each customer will obviously decrease.Ferry costs and fuel will be deducted out.Please let me know me what you think out there I like costructive critisisim.

[P]

I can understand your wanting to escape from a factory but I wonder just how ‘adventurous’ you will find driving back and forth to France. I do think you need to view this from all sides – carry out a realistic SWOT analysis and see what that produces.

 

Looking at some of the aspects of this:

 

How much capital do you have. You need to buy a van, various start-up costs, such as advertising, building up a client base, which may mean running nearly empty at the start. The other thing that you need are return loads. Haulage and courier companies are always after the return load.

 

Firstly, the need for a van. Are you going to buy new, one just off of lease hire or an older van?

 

Whichever route you go, you need to save the depreciation so that you have the funding for another when the time comes to replace it.

 

If you are borrowing the money for the van you have to make the payments whether you have a load or not.

 

New – high depreciation

Ex Lease – now do not run away with the idea that because it has been leased that it will have been maintained to the highest standard. Not the case. Lease companies spend the least they can to maximise profits

Old one – what life has it left in it.

 

Who is going to maintain it – can you?

 

If you are not what are you going to do when work is required and the garage says ‘can’t fit it in until the end of next week’. You cannot let customers down so you will have to hire – more expense.

 

You are just south of Paris and the van engine suddenly dies or you get a horrible noise from it. Will you be able to fix it? Or will you be at the mercy of a French garage and whatever they wish to charge you.

 

I presume that to make this work financially you will have to make two round trips a weeks of, say 1,200 miles per trip, 2,400 per week, 120,000 miles per year. The van will require several services a year and possibly an engine and running gear after the first year and every 18 months after that. Can you carry out the services and overhauls or is it more money to the garage and hired vehicles whilst off of the road?

 

You might think that factory life is boring but at the end of the day you go home and do what you want. The runs to France will no doubt become boring, Some of the roads you will be driving twice a week in each direction, you will be caught in traffic jams the black road stretching out before you for mile after mile, the signposts saying ‘Endville 252 km’ etc.

 

You will also have to contend with blockades of ports and seamen strikes, all adding costs and time delays – and I am sorry, your customers will not be interested in your problems just why were you not here two days ago when you were supposed to.