With a unique business model and competitive pricing on appliances and other home goods, Joshua Bate Trading has found a way to beat the recession.The company has increased its staff and is expanding to a new warehouse, taking over ground floor space at Bermuda Public Storage on Elliott Street near Media House and behind Gosling’s. It will be moving out of its Par-La-Ville Road showroom and other smaller warehouse space that it leases next month.“The new location will give us more space and allows us to consolidate all of our operations,” co-owner Joshua Bate said. “We are trying to get back to our roots, less overheads and more competitive prices.”Bate’s was founded two decades ago after its owners saw that Bermuda residents looking for appliances and building materials were not always getting the best deals available when purchasing through existing local retailers.Bate’s has added a number of new products lines to their business including lighting, furniture, mattresses, televisions, rugs, flooring, gas and electric fireplaces, gas grills, children’s swing sets and more.The goal of the company is to purchase direct from manufacturers for wholesale pricing, so they can sell in Bermuda as close as possible to US retail prices.In addition, he said, “Bate’s now exclusively offers same-day delivery on any orders placed on stock items before 10am, Island-wide. Next day delivery has always been our standard, and that’s also the best on the Island, also exclusive.”Mr Bate said the company managed to grow through the economic downturn due to demand by local residents for better deals on everything from appliances to flooring, lighting and furniture.Bate’s also honours the first two years of the manufacturer warranties on appliances.The company, which sells all brands of appliances, also become the Island’s authorised GE distributor, won after Homezone closed.All of its appliances in stock currently are listed with full pricing and descriptions on its website at www.bate.bm.Currently Bate’s is having a 15-percent-off sale to move inventory of in-stock GE ranges, with prices starting as low as $878 for white and $1,337 for stainless steel. Bate’s also offers the popular higher-end commercial/industrial-look GE Cafe line, which can be compared in style to Viking but is lower priced. It has those appliances in stock in its showroom, too.Mr Bate, who got his start in the home goods business at America’s Home Depot chain, said that through agreements, it is also now able to offer competitive pricing and more convenience in bringing in products from Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware; with the products ultimately costing less via Bate’s than if you shipped them in yourself, and arriving in one shipment.Although Bate’s resisted working with retailers in the past, it has directly negotiated discounted prices from several retailers including Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware, to be able to bring in goods for less than consumers could do themselves.“We are finding people are very price conscious in this economy, that is why it has been steady for us,” Mr Bate said.