Soaring sales power expansion at battery retailer

Soaring sales have powered expansion at an online battery retailer and a move into bigger premises in Redditch.

It sees Fogstar secure a new base more than double the size of its old premises.

But Ben Facer, founder-director at Fogstar, said continuing sales growth mean that instead of moving out of their old premises on the Royal Enfield Business Park, the firm is retaining them.

“It’s been crazy,” said Ben. “We’re already talking about adding a mezzanine to the new premises to give us more space. We seem to be the right business, providing the right service at the right time.

“When we moved into our old premises five years ago, we were selling smaller lithium-ion batteries used in torches, vape pens and video door bells to the public and independent retailers such as vape shops.

“Now we have expanded so that half our sales are to businesses and half to the public. So we sell batteries to camper van owners and also supply them to the camper manufacturers.

“It’s part of the reason we saw sales rise to £18m last year. Not bad for a company I started with £5,000 in 2016.

“I was managing a service station in Redditch, thinking up ideas for a business I could run myself. I was fairly knowledgeable about websites and came up with Fogstar as a battery seller online. It just took off.

“We had just four people working here when we moved on to Royal Enfield and now there are 14 of us.”

Ian Parker, joint managing director at John Truslove, secured a five-year lease for Fogstar on 3,820 sq ft of space at Unit 21 on Manorside Industrial Estate at £31,515 a year.

Parker said: “It is always satisfying to see a business we helped in the past taking the next step into bigger premises.

“Ben and his team have done a great job building Fogstar with its combination of retail and business sales and we expect to see them continuing to grow.

“Supporting growing local businesses like this is a big part of what we do here at John Truslove, helping them find the right premises to take their companies to the next level. It is good for them and for our landlord clients, who benefit from attracting strong and thriving companies as their tenants.”

mfg Solicitors in Bromsgrove acted for Fogstar on the leasing agreement.