Raleigh Agencies Ltd. in Bellanaleck has been providing quality service as an automotive wholesaler and distributor across the whole of Ireland for more than 30 years.

When it first started, it was known as C & C Panels, but while the name may have changed – indeed, there is the odd customer who would still refer to its original name – the business has not.

There has been some expansion and diversification, but in the main, their focus is still on replacement car body panels.

Willie Cathcart began the business and now his son, Ryan, is Managing Director, having joined the business a decade ago after he completed a degree in Economics.

Ryan Cathcart said the plan was to go into the family business once he got his education out of the way, and added that it is nice to be working in Fermanagh.

Explaining what Raleigh Agencies do, he said: “Our niche products would have always been the sort of craft repair panels and lighting; non-genuine automotive parts.

“So your bonnets, your wings, panels and lightning would have been our niche, and still are to a degree.

“There’s not too many stockists in Ireland who keep stuff like that on the shelves.

“We’d still be one of the biggest stockers of craft repair parts in Ireland,” he added.

These non-genuine parts would be for those who are trying to repair their car on their own without having to go through insurance, and would be cheaper than the ones made by the likes of car manufacturers such as Toyota or Ford.

Mr. Cathcart continued: “It’s a lot better value, so if you don’t want to, or if you’re not going through your insurance, and you just want to fix it yourself and you want to try and save money on that, that’s generally our market – after-market crash repair.”

As well as the parts for modern cars, Raleigh Agencies would also supply equipment for classic rally cars.

“There’s a lot of classic car panels and stuff that we do a lot of that’s hard to get,” Mr. Cathcart explained.

“There’s a real, very niche market for that. People are really into their classic rally cars and things like that.

“So that’s something we’d be kind of known for.”

And this niche market would, in Mr. Cathcart’s opinion, be one of the more interesting sides of the business.

“The rest of the business is fairly humdrum, in terms of ‘something’s broken in your car and you need it replaced’ is generally how it is.

“So I mean it’s fairly day-to-day [matters] – replacement brake pads and things like that.

“There’s a lot of different product groups, and that’s probably one of the most interesting ones.

“A lot of the other stuff is general day-to-day consumables for people who work at cars, and things like that.”

All this means importing parts from the UK and Europe, with exports then going to the Republic of Ireland as well as Northern Ireland.

Mr. Cathcart admits that Brexit has caused some challenges to this, but it is more of an “admin challenge” than one that is affecting sales.

“With most of our suppliers, it’s just been about keeping those channels open.

“And most of them are willing to do their small part of paperwork on their side in terms of customs declarations and things like that.

“But we have a fair bit of extra work there too, so that’s definitely a new challenge.

“It’s something that we really wouldn’t have had to do in maybe 20 years, pre the Good Friday Agreement and sort of cross-Border [trade]. That was well before my time.”

That is the import side, whereas Mr. Cathcart is happy to say that exporting to the South is less of a hassle: “We do a lot of cross-Border trade.

“It’s still a very strong part of our business, and keeps us diversified as well and not relying entirely on local trade.”

As well as the local trade, Raleigh Agencies supplies products to more than 200 motor factors.

These products include their own brand of motor oil (Erne and Excel), and tow bars, and they are an exclusive distributor of the M-TEC battery brand to the Republic of Ireland.

Behind all of this is a loyal staff who help make the company successful.

Customers across Ireland are delivered to, and Raleigh Agencies pride themselves on their customer service and ability to meet the needs of their customers.

“There’s a lot of staff still here that are here from the early days in the business, maybe 30 years [ago].

“People like Brendan Cullen, who’s on the road and has built up really good relationships with the customers over the years.”

Mr. Cathcart believes this face-to-face relationship is still an important aspect in a time when online business is ever growing.

“It’s still very important that one-on-one relationship. Brendan just knows these guys well and that’s coming from two or three decades on the road going in and talking to these people.

“In automotive parts, it can be tricky. With car parts it’s knowing what you need and what you’re buying, and there is still a bit of a need for a sort of non-automation.

“You need to speak to someone and you need to know exactly what you need and be sure that you’re getting the right thing.

“So it’s probably one area where there’s still a little bit of need for that customer and salesperson relationship.”

But Mr. Cathcart does recognise the growth in online trading and platforms, and looking ahead to the future it is one part of the business that they will be focusing on, as well as progressing their brands.

“I would say we [will be] trying to do more with our brands, and also developing the online trade.

“It would certainly be one of the goals – to keep up with technology and how it is progressing,” he added.