Our Story

New kids on the block

 In the Beginning - August 2014

In August 2014, following 8 years of service

in the battery industry, one of our company directors, Jonathan,

decided to set up his own business, Westcountry Batteries, supplying and installing all types of batteries.

Unbeknownst to him, at the same time,

following 12 years of service in the battery industry, our other company

director, Darren, also decided to set up his own business, Off Grid Technologies (specialising in all types of off-grid living, DC power, energy storage and solar panels)

Working together

Joining Forces - June 2015

Within 6 months we had started supplying each other and even working

together on installations – both at the design and fitting stages. We

obviously hit it off and therefore decided to share a business premises.

We covered each other’s holidays and treated each other’s business like

our own, whilst watching them both grow stronger.

Two become one

The Merge - October 2016

2016 was the year we decided to marry our

two highly specialised companies to enable us to expand our range of

products, providing a one-stop-shop for all DC powered products.

This merger saw the birth of Batteries and

Solar, which is now a leading supplier of DC power products with a

comprehensive supplier network, providing a lot more than just batteries

and solar. Our range of products has expanded to include refrigeration

and heating, bespoke cable making, LED lighting, inverters, chargers, a

huge range of accessories and much more. This means we can cater for all

types of leisure vehicle conversions, off-grid systems, lighting

applications, marine, and system design.

Right place, right time

The Big Move - June 2017

No sooner had we started, we found we were running out of space. Our

continuous expansion and growth meant a bigger workshop and showroom was

needed – and fast! Luckily, we were in the right place at the right

time as our next-door neighbours were moving.

A steady stream

Customer Focussed - October 2017

2017 saw us going from strength to strength, with a steady stream of

customers walking through our doors. We needed a head of customer

relations; which Arthur took to very quickly and politely.

Building a future

A Dedicated Team - April 2018

In 2018 it became apparent that we could no longer match the high volume

of demands for our products and services. Therefore, embracing

expansion and diversification again, we began employing highly qualified

and experienced workshop technician and delivery driver. This has

strengthened even further our services platform and product knowledge,

making us the one-stop shop for all your battery and solar powered

needs.

Embracing expansion

New Website - June 2019

In June 2019, following an explosion of

demand for our products, we decided to target the online market to

enable us to offer new customers far and wide access to our extensively

stocked shop.

Consequently, we opened our arms to welcome a

new website manager, who is helping us to make in-roads into online

sales. This means we are now also an online one-stop-shop for all you

self-builders out there.

As we were growing we needed a second technician, therefore Adam was invited to join us in August 2019.

Adapt, Adjust, Overcome

Covid-19 –March 2020

When the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced a nationwide lockdown to curb the widening outbreak of Covid-19, the future of Batteries and Solar was suddenly uncertain. In the face of this adversity, we implemented a strategy to reduce stock levels, whilst also bracing ourselves for the expected loss of trade.

Like so many other businesses, we were forced to close our retail store.

However, due to the importance of a large range of our products, we were able to continue operating, albeit within the parameters of the restrictions.

Setting up a makeshift retail counter at the main warehouse door meant we could safely serve any customers who wished to collect- and the customers just kept on coming! By mid-May, to our surprise, instead of maintaining our customer base and sales, we had rapidly expanded!

Meeting Rising Demands

Growth –  June 2020

On the 1st June 2020, Kurt, one of our IT specialists, joined us. Just over a month later, further demands placed on the warehouse meant we constantly needed all hands to the pump! This led to Rob joining our expanding team in late 2020 as Warehouse Operative and Delivery Driver.

As Covid-19 restrictions ebbed and flowed, things were far from back to normal, but we became accustomed to rising and adapting to each challenge.

Adjusting our Sails

Change is Inevitable - 2022

In early 2022 our ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and Accounting System was no longer keeping up with us and our rate of growth, so the hunt for a new system began.

Little did we know that this would be a long and arduous process that would unfortunately lead to a very tricky year.

In February, Jack, our IT Manager, joined us and immediately began the process of mapping and implementing the new ERP.

July 2022 saw Huey, one of our Workshop Technicians, join us. This enabled us to expand the Workshop and was the first foothold towards one of our future plans. We also added Max to our Warehouse Team, easing the pressure momentarily...

In September 2022 we made the very difficult and financially unsettling decision to change our ERP again! This set us back some way, creating a negative impact on our productivity, and often felt like a huge step backwards!

However, we continued to meet our customers’ needs, which in turn led to the arrival of Matt, who joined as a Workshop Technician in October. Not only that, but a month later, the Warehouse Team required further assistance, and Aimee joined our Goods In and Despatch Department.

Trust the Seeds you are Planting

Focus Creates Expansion – 2023

Our steady growth over the years meant that our Accounts Department was beginning to feel the pressure, so in January, Claire joined us an Accounts Administrator.

For a long time our Workshop and Warehouse Teams have worked within the same building, but our expansion in both sections meant that space was becoming tight. We made the decision to separate the workshop, moving them to another unit nearby, thus creating not only more space for our Warehouse Team, but also the opportunity

to work on 4-5 vehicles simultaneously.