Soaring sales have powered expansion at an online battery retailer and a move into bigger premises in Redditch. in a deal assisted by commercial property agency John Truslove.

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 £18 million 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.”

Ben worked with commercial property agents John Truslove to find his last premises, so it made sense to go back to the firm this time.

“We got in touch with Ian Parker, and he suggested a couple of possible premises and this was one of them. It was all very smooth and trouble free.”

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, Walkers Road, Redditch, at £31,515 per annum.

Mr 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.

Ends (466 words)

For more information, contact: 

John Truslove, Daralbee House, Archer Road, Redditch, B98 8DJ 

01527 584242 

Editor’s Notes 

Redditch-based chartered surveyors and valuers John Truslove was established by John Truslove in 1981 and has become the market leading independent agent for commercial property in North Worcestershire and North Warwickshire as well as the wider West Midlands. 

John Truslove has been named top commercial property agency in Worcestershire again – for the third year in a row. The company, now in its 42^nd year, left the competition standing. 

In 2022, John Truslove signed off 77 deals, more than all the other top five agents in Worcestershire combined. And in Warwickshire, John Truslove ranked fifth. 

The figures are revealed in the latest EG Radius On-Demand Rankings, the property trade national league table of commercial agents. It follows on the success from 2020 and 2021 when the firm was named Most Active Agent in Worcestershire for two years in a row in the Radius Data Exchange survey produced in conjunction with EG, the commercial property market magazine. 

Joint managing director Ian Parker was also named Worcestershire Dealmaker of the Year AND Warwickshire Dealmaker of the Year for 2020. The survey year, which runs from August to August, saw John Truslove record a 36% increase in deals negotiated over the 12 months. 

Issued by Andy Skinner of ASAP PR, mobile 07990 978257.