Espares
eSpares is an online retailer based in Chelsea, South-West London. It is one of the United Kingdom's largest retailers of spare parts and accessories for electrical appliances. It specialises in products for home and garden appliances.
History
eSpares was founded in 2003 by Simon Richards. The business initially sold spare parts and consumables for domestic vacuum cleaners. The demand for spares and accessories for all types of home electrical goods led to a rapid expansion of their product range. Kitchen appliance spares from all the major manufacturers were added.
In 2006, eSpares expanded further to include spares and accessories for garden and outdoor goods, as well as replacement remote controls and accessories for TV and audio. By 2008 over 300,000 different spares and accessories were available from over 500 manufacturers, including Bosch, Dyson, Electrolux, Flymo, Hoover, Indesit, Siemens and Vax.
David Laurie, previously Chief Executive at Internet Service Provider Brightview, was appointed as Chief Executive in January 2008. At this time, Simon Richards sold a substantial share of the company to a group of private investors and left to pursue other Internet-based business opportunities.
Rebrand
In September 2008 the company dropped the original logo and “we keep appliances working” slogan.
The brand was relaunched with the current distinctive yellow and black livery and an entirely new website, with better search and navigation capability. The ‘e’ of the eSpares logo is derived from the International power on/off symbol; a reference to the eSpares product range, which now covers just about all household electrical appliances.
The Website
The eSpares website contains functionality to help consumers fix their own appliances. The website provides guidance on finding the appliance’s model number and includes exploded diagrams of the appliance to ensure that the correct part can be located.
Customers can also download user manuals in PDF format for their appliance. Further advice is available on how to fit spare parts, as well as information on appliance maintenance and fault finding.
In October 2008 the company launched 2 new website features. Customers can leave reviews of the products they have bought as well as ask and answer questions about products available on the site.
Merchant Partnerships
eSpares hosts and powers various other spares websites including the spare parts website for Comet, and the Hoover Spares website.
News Stories
On Monday 20th October, the BBC Two programme Working Lunch featured eSpares as a company that was helping consumers beat the credit crunch.