Leigh Sells to Lee Valley

[Thomas McCurnin]

This is a mess. Usually, when a company sells, inventory is shipped, management and key people stay on board (contractually obligated for 6-12 months) and the new buyer has the benefit of precise inventory control and key employees so the merger is seamless. At least that is the goal. Apparently, Leigh was in a hurry, shipped all the inventory, turned out the lights, and gave Lee Valley the keys.

Presently, Leigh part numbers are nearly impossible to track by Lee Valley unless the inventory was shipped, unpacked and inventoried in the Lee Valley system. No customer service personnel were transferred to Lee Valley.

So, what does this mean for us consumers?

Well, you might be able to find your Leigh Part Numbers from Lee Valley, but it is very iffy presently. It may take a month for stuff to be taken out of shipment containers and off pallets and inventoried in the Lee Valley system. There may be inventory shortages for up to several months for some items while they are being manufactured. Highland Hardware has some inventory and you might be better off with a call to them.

Customer Service is non-existent. There are a couple of guys who are Leigh experts at Lee Valley who are working every day on the products and training themselves with videos and product manuals. That process is on going and as soon as they are trained, they will train a staff of customer service representatives.

Your patience with Lee Valley will likely be appreciated in dealing with this awful sale.

[Jim Becker]

Given Lee Valley's historical great attention to customer service and product excellence, I strongly suspect that they will get this all straightened out as quickly as they can. And if you think about it, it's a great acquisition for them to be able to get the "flagship" product range from Leigh. It will fit well into the Lee Valley business for sure.

So yea..."Patience, Grasshoppers!"

[Tom M King]

I'm sure the customer service will be top notch as soon as possible. For anyone that is in dire need before they get everything lined up, retailers like Highland Woodworking should be able to help you out as long as they have inventory in stock.

[Ray Selinger]

When I bought my jig, I got it at their shop. The Liegh staff were very helpful .They were a local BC outfit.Too bad. Ottawa is long ways away. I have been a Lee Valley customer since their first thin " White" catalogue . I sent my dollar in after reading a small ad in Harrowsmith.

[lou Brava]

Funny you mention this, I just finished a call with Lee Valley on a Leigh jig warranty question & it started out not so good than by the end of the conversation they said, well will take care of it no matter what you need & ship out new part or parts. So IMO that's great customer service.

[Thomas McCurnin]

The problem is that they don't know what parts or inventory they have. Much of it is on pallets in containers. Searching for a Leigh Part Number is a fool's errand, as they don't use the same numbers. It is likely to be weeks before this is sorted out.

[Brian Runau]

I am surprised as well run as Lee Valley seems to be that they would enter into a contract and not pin down these details for a smoother transition. Not being on the inside we don't know what leigh terms were int he marketplace and how much they were will to do. Brian

[Jim Becker]

Brian, based on what was posted up above, it sounds like this was a situation where Leigh wanted to bail "really fast" and Lee Valley is just having to deal with that. I suspect that LV would normally allow for a whole bunch of due diligence and preparation for an acquisition like this, or even taking on a new line from somewhere in the industry, but that just wasn't possible this time around. I'm sure it will resolve as fast as they can make it happen.

[Brian Runau]

Brian, based on what was posted up above, it sounds like this was a situation where Leigh wanted to bail "really fast" and Lee Valley is just having to deal with that. I suspect that LV would normally allow for a whole bunch of due diligence and preparation for an acquisition like this, or even taking on a new line from somewhere in the industry, but that just wasn't possible this time around. I'm sure it will resolve as fast as they can make it happen.

Based on their reputation it sounds like that, but not having been in the room.... Brian