Partner of the Year 2014
Posted on
To recognise the achievements of our service provider partnerships, the ActSmart Partner of the Year awards initiative was introduced in 2010.
ActSmart is heavily dependent upon partnerships to help deliver key cost saving, sales boosting and support services to our subscribers. The range of 30+ services available makes the ActSmart subscription package the most valuable tool for your retail business. From cost savings on business insurance and card processing, to unlimited access to legal advice, the range of services available offers businesses the support they need, all in one place.This year, the Partner of the Year has been awarded to V12 Retail Finance.
V12 has been selected for their dedication to growing the retail industry by offering a key sales boosting services which is currently accessed by over 750 retailers (up 25% in the last year alone).
On the decision to give V12 the award this year, Tony Jones, Director at ActSmart said "2014 has been a great year for the growth of Ride it away and Take it outdoors schemes, which have generated sales over £65million for the outdoor pursuits industry. Hundreds of retailers are seeing the benefit of offering their customers finance and with new initiatives planned for the coming year, the schemes will only get better. It is this continued support, commitment to the independent retail sector and ongoing product development from V12 that makes them industry leaders and worthy winners of the Partner of the Year award"
Since 2010, ActSmart have successfully worked in partnership with Secure Trust Bank (STB), the UK's largest funder of bicycle equipment, to offer subscribers access to retail finance. At the end of 2013 it was announced that STB acquired V12 Retail Finance which gave our subscribers access to even more features designed to make finance applications easier and quicker whilst still maintaining the same great service, low rates and great acceptance rates.
As the leading finance provider for the cycles and outdoor pursuits sectors, V12 have helped to grow Ride it away and Take it outdoors massively in the last year, with the scheme volume increasing in excess of 100% like-for-like.
After receiving the award, Matthew Barton, National Account Manager at V12 Retail Finance said "We are delighted to have been selected as ActSmart's Partner of the Year 2014. As one of the UK's leading finance providers for cycles and outdoor pursuits, our team live and breathe these sectors and our success is testament to this. We have a range of new developments in the pipeline for 2015 and will continue to be fully supportive of independent retailers. We are proud to have won this award and intend to do everything we can to hold onto it next year!"
Going in to 2015, V12 and ActSmart will continue to build on the success of Ride it away and Take it outdoors by maintaining the features that have been key to the success of the schemes, including:
- Free V12 set-up worth £495
- Personal support throughout the application and FCA authorisation process
- No minimum finance turnover requirement
- Payment issued by V12 same day and in your bank within 4 days
- National promotion on the Ride it away consumer website
- Access to FCA compliant in-store POS material
- Access to web banners for use on your own website
- National Account Managers who understand the sectors we operate in
Plus, there are many more developments planned for the New Year which will help to support both new and existing retailers and grow financed sales even more... watch this space!
Start offering finance
Over 750 retailers in the UK currently offer finance through Take it outdoors and Ride it away, accounting for £65m worth of sales every year!
Current ActSmart subscribers already have access to the scheme and simply need to apply to V12. Applications take on average 6 weeks to process, so apply today to guarantee you'll have Ride it away or Take it outdoors in place for the new year.
If you aren't currently an ActSmart subscriber, you will need to join once you have been provisionally accepted by V12 in order to become part of the scheme.
What next?
1. Click here to find out more and receive your free application pack
2. Once your application is approved you will need to apply for FCA authorisation
3. Once you are authorised you can access branded point of sale materials via ActSmart.