Customers attending an open day at John Astley & Sons Industrial Consumables Division have brought the firm thousands of pounds' worth of new business.

The open day on 15 April, was the first of its kind, but succeeded in attracting nearly 200 visitors from all parts of the country.

They had the chance to see and try new product lines from major tool manufacturers such as Draper, Lenox and Metabo - just three of the top name brands stocked by Astleys at its premises in Coventry's Gosford Street.

They were also able to try a number of hands-on challenges such as cutting a coach bolt in half vertically - almost impossible with a normal hacksaw but easy when you use the latest high-tech blades.

Safety was one of the main themes of the event, reflecting the increased awareness of health and safety issues among tradesmen and contractors. Visitors were able to try on items of safety clothing and protective equipment respirators, goggles and boots - all part of the wide range supplied by Astleys.

A number of seminars ran throughout the open day, enabling customers to pick up expert advice on everything from blade performance to the safe use of hand tools.

Nick Hilditch, marketing manager for Astleys Industrial Consumables Division, said that the day had been a great success:

"As we had never held an open day before, this was very much a case of 'suck it and see' but the response was far better than we expected," he said.

"As well as securing some important sales on the day, we received a large number of enquiries which have the potential to bring in several new national and regional accounts."