Roofing supply specialists celebrate record year of growth

Founded by father and son duo, Brian and Martin Bagley, in 2005, Varico has established itself as one of the UK’s leading suppliers of polycarbonate roofing sheets and other building and construction products.

Fundamental to its success has been the launch of its own eCommerce store in 2015, which was developed to ensure the business could compete on a national scale, after experiencing limited results in utilising online marketplace, eBay.

Aware of the stiff competition from leading retailers Wickes and Tool Station, Varico enlisted the help of Climb Online, the digital marketing agency founded by BBC Apprentice Winner, Mark Wright, in January 2015 to increase its online presence.

Within just six months, the firm had accelerated its digital advertising spend by 1,900 per cent from just £500 to £10,000 plus via a dedicated Paid Media and SEO campaign, which saw the brand move from an average and sporadic eBay order of £41 to a six-figure monthly turnover.

As a result, the Varico brand has become synonymous with the supply of roofing plastics and other sheeting products, which has proved incredibly valuable throughout the pandemic, as the firm has played an integral role in the provision of protective screens for both workplaces and centres utilised for the rollout of the UK vaccination programme.

In turn, Varico has celebrated a record year of growth by exceeding a £3 million turnover – an increase of 700 per cent since it first launched its eCommerce store 5 years ago.

Martin Bagley said: “The last five years have been a real whirlwind for Varico, where we have gone from struggling to sell even the smallest of construction products on eBay to becoming one of the UK’s leading suppliers of roofing plastics and other building products.

"This, of course, wouldn’t have been possible without the work and support of Climb Online, who have consistently delivered a positive ROI, whilst enabling us to rank above retail giants like Wickes and Tool Station for many of our core products. As such, we have also been able to play a positive role in supporting local businesses and the wider community throughout the Covid-19 pandemic with the provision of protective screening. My father and I are both ecstatic with the level of growth to date and cannot wait to see what the next 5 years will bring.”

Mark Wright, founder and managing director of Climb Online, added: "As an agency, we pride ourselves on delivering tangible and profitable results for all our clients and are genuinely delighted to see a family run business, like Varico, go from generating minimal orders via eBay to competing with retail giants via their own well-ranked eCommerce store. We now look forward to continuing our positive, working relationship with Martin and the team and in supporting their long-term success.”

Headquartered in Aldridge, Varico has more than 1,000 roofing, building and construction products available via its website, available with fast turnaround at competitive costs. With a headcount of 9, the family-run firm has ambitious growth plans for 2021, with a forecast turnover of £3.6 million.