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<< Electric 2cv
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2009 |
August 2
Bonapart sold by Norrie Walker to Herve Ledeux
Bonapart lives!
August 2009
Hi Dick - just to bring you and 2CVTV up to date about Bonapart......
In my last contact with 2CVTV I outlined the fact that in order to accelerate retirement I was selling off all Bonapart's stock (see 2CVTV report 2008) and retaining the core elements of the business for sale at some future date. I subsequently received a number of interesting proposals from customers, none of which however involved a 'lock, stock and barrel' purchase of the business.
Then I received an enthusiastic email from an unexpected source. For some years I had been in regular contact with Hervé Ledeux who was with TPV2CV, a Bonapart customer in France, and I had formed an email-based friendship with him based amongst other things on good-humoured banter about French/Scottish rugby.
'Why didn't you tell me that Bonapart was for sale?' he demanded. 'This is the opportunity I've been looking for. You have to sell BP2CV to me!' And so, some months and volumes of emails later, I found myself loading Bonapart2CV into a large van and heading solo to the Champagne region in France to hand over my 20 year-old business to a Frenchman I had never met!
It was 20:00 when I arrived in Nogent-sur-Seine and (alright, I was a bit bleary-eyed) I could see...not a soul! Deserted. Absolute quiet. Having missed a turning, I stopped to check my map. Then, looking up to check for any street name or sign, I saw a small, elderly lady with a basket of vegetables being led steadily across the road in front of my van by a chubby terrier. I leaned from my window to practice my poor French by asking her directions to the farm where I was to stay.
'I know that' she said....'Who have you come to visit in Nogent?' Well, this lady is very direct, I mused but I answered 'Monsieur Hervé Ledeux' She smiled and said 'I know him'. At that point I looked briefly in my nearside mirror to see if the van was holding up any traffic on the narrow street. Traffic? What traffic? When I turned back to her, she had vanished!
I stuck my head out of the window. No sign of her at all! Next minute, the passenger door opened and the overweight terrier was lifted onto the seat next to me, closely followed by the basket of veggies. The lady then started to climb up into the cab (with great effort) saying 'I will show you'.
I tried politely to point out that she shouldn't go to such trouble when lo, there was a tapping on the driver's door! Increasingly bewildered by the situation I turned to see a studious, slightly quizzical face at the open window. 'Mister Walker?' it said.
Well.....it was Hervé! He had seen my van with 'Jolly Good Van Hire' plastered on its side drive past his house and had somehow(?) put two and two together... We greeted each other warmly. Quite a moment.
Then I said. 'This lady is not with me....' 'I know her' replied Hervé. 'I have just bought an old house from her......' ?????
That was the start of a week of friendship, fun, family, and French hospitality I shall never forget and I left reluctantly but knowing that BP2CV was now owned by someone who could not be better for the job.
Hervé is astute, honest, diligent and 2CV-dedicated and I thoroughly recommend him and the new Bonapart2CV to all previous and prospective customers.
He has plans for new products to be gradually introduced to the existing Bonapart range and I look forward to following his progress with much interest. Thanks again to all you trade and retail customers who have supported Bonapart2CV over the years.
http://www.bonapart2cv.fr
Norrie 2.8.2009
August 2009
Hi Dick - just to bring you and 2CVTV up to date about Bonapart......
In my last contact with 2CVTV I outlined the fact that in order to accelerate retirement I was selling off all Bonapart's stock (see 2CVTV report 2008) and retaining the core elements of the business for sale at some future date. I subsequently received a number of interesting proposals from customers, none of which however involved a 'lock, stock and barrel' purchase of the business.
Then I received an enthusiastic email from an unexpected source. For some years I had been in regular contact with Hervé Ledeux who was with TPV2CV, a Bonapart customer in France, and I had formed an email-based friendship with him based amongst other things on good-humoured banter about French/Scottish rugby.
'Why didn't you tell me that Bonapart was for sale?' he demanded. 'This is the opportunity I've been looking for. You have to sell BP2CV to me!' And so, some months and volumes of emails later, I found myself loading Bonapart2CV into a large van and heading solo to the Champagne region in France to hand over my 20 year-old business to a Frenchman I had never met!
It was 20:00 when I arrived in Nogent-sur-Seine and (alright, I was a bit bleary-eyed) I could see...not a soul! Deserted. Absolute quiet. Having missed a turning, I stopped to check my map. Then, looking up to check for any street name or sign, I saw a small, elderly lady with a basket of vegetables being led steadily across the road in front of my van by a chubby terrier. I leaned from my window to practice my poor French by asking her directions to the farm where I was to stay.
'I know that' she said....'Who have you come to visit in Nogent?' Well, this lady is very direct, I mused but I answered 'Monsieur Hervé Ledeux' She smiled and said 'I know him'. At that point I looked briefly in my nearside mirror to see if the van was holding up any traffic on the narrow street. Traffic? What traffic? When I turned back to her, she had vanished!
I stuck my head out of the window. No sign of her at all! Next minute, the passenger door opened and the overweight terrier was lifted onto the seat next to me, closely followed by the basket of veggies. The lady then started to climb up into the cab (with great effort) saying 'I will show you'.
I tried politely to point out that she shouldn't go to such trouble when lo, there was a tapping on the driver's door! Increasingly bewildered by the situation I turned to see a studious, slightly quizzical face at the open window. 'Mister Walker?' it said.
Well.....it was Hervé! He had seen my van with 'Jolly Good Van Hire' plastered on its side drive past his house and had somehow(?) put two and two together... We greeted each other warmly. Quite a moment.
Then I said. 'This lady is not with me....' 'I know her' replied Hervé. 'I have just bought an old house from her......' ?????
That was the start of a week of friendship, fun, family, and French hospitality I shall never forget and I left reluctantly but knowing that BP2CV was now owned by someone who could not be better for the job.
Hervé is astute, honest, diligent and 2CV-dedicated and I thoroughly recommend him and the new Bonapart2CV to all previous and prospective customers.
He has plans for new products to be gradually introduced to the existing Bonapart range and I look forward to following his progress with much interest. Thanks again to all you trade and retail customers who have supported Bonapart2CV over the years.
http://www.bonapart2cv.fr
Norrie 2.8.2009
