July 1st
​ Bonapart Retirement!

News of Bonapart, june 2008

Report by: Norrie Walker
(Bonapart)


2CVTV received the following message from Norrie Walker of Bonapart which we would like to share with our readers:-

Hello Dick,

long time since I've been in touch but I'm pleased to notice that 2CVTV seems to be as popular and packed full of information as ever! I wondered if you might be able to squeeze a piece in somewhere on your website based on the following facts.

I decided last year to sell Bonapart and to retire and I made small announcements in 2CVGB mag. and in the club national event programme to that effect. A couple of parties made 'interested' noises but were unable to afford the asking price. A couple of months ago my accountants completed a full audit of the business and from this information I realised that I had actually underestimated its value. Not only that, but it was clear that a satisfactory 'pipe,slippers and Saga subscription' figure could be obtained by selling all stock variously at trade and retail prices; and that is what I am now successfully achieving.

A circular to trade customers (mostly continental) has set off a panic buying reaction and stocks of all items are now reducing rapidly - eg. I now have no stock of fuel pipe sets. I thought it might be advantageous for your website visitors to be aware of this final sale of stock - perhaps allowing them to consider buying brake pipes / brake pipe sets / oil transfer pipe assemblies (now discontinued by Citroen) etc just to keep on the garage shelf for the future - since when I close Bonapart's doors, these will no longer be available. Discount of 10% applies to all items.

On final closure, with all stock sold, the core elements of the business - goodwill, bending jigs, eng. drawings, rights to company and product names + advertising material slogans and characters, our website, suppliers, manufacturing info etc. etc. will then be left as a separate package to be sold at a later date for the most appropriate price.

Bonapart started up over seventeen years ago. Since then it has been a mixture of fun and hard work supplying goodness knows how many thousands of Deuches/Lomaxes/Pembletons/Burtons etc.etc. + other Citroen marques with armacune cupro-nickel brake pipes and other allied products.

Probably the most pleasing aspect of running Bonapart has been the contact with its customers - trade and retail. They're not unique as classic car owners or parts suppliers of course, but internationally, in terms of good humour and, well, basic human decentness they are (in my experience) very hard to beat - particularly 2CV'ers. The only two exceptions to this sincere personal accolade are those two gents responsible for the only bad debts I've had to write off in seventeen years. One, a BX owner, barricaded himself + three rotweillers in his house for four days - after which the bailiffs gave up the cause - and a 'Mediterranean' Citroen specialist who kept a large machete hanging on his office wall and whose garage mysteriously burned down one night!

Finally, could I possibly take this opportunity to express my warmest thanks to all customers - trade and retail, past and present for their support and for their confidence in Bonapart's products?

Best regards, Norrie Walker
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