CLEARLY STATING THE EXACT PURPOSE FOR WHICH THEY ARE TO BE USED - I FEEL CERTAIN THAT WE CAN COME TO SOME ARRANGEMENT WHEREBY WE CAN HELP YOU TO OVERCOME THE DIFFICULTIES REFERRED TO IN YOUR LETTER . '
IT IS THEREFORE CLEAR THAT HUGIN UK WAS , AT LEAST UNTIL SEPTEMBER 1972 , PREPARED TO SUPPLY LIPTONS WITH SPARE PARTS IN RESPECT OF LIPTONS ' SEPARATE BUSINESS IN THE RECONDITIONING OF SECOND-HAND HUGIN CASH REGISTERS PURCHASED FROM HUGIN UK BUT NOT WITH SPARE PARTS FOR THE MAINTENANCE OR REPAIR OF OTHER HUGIN MACHINES .
THE COMPONENT PARTS OF HUGIN CASH REGISTERS ARE NOT INTERCHANGEABLE WITH THOSE OF OTHER MAKES SO THAT LIPTONS IS TOTALLY UNABLE TO MAINTAIN , REPAIR OR RECONDITION HUGIN CASH REGISTERS WITHOUT A SOURCE OF SUPPLY OF GENUINE HUGIN SPARE PARTS . APART FROM ANY QUESTION OF COPYRIGHT OR OTHER INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY RIGHTS , LIPTONS STATE THAT IT WOULD NOT BE ECONOMICAL TO HAVE SUCH PARTS SPECIALLY MANUFACTURED .
LIPTONS HAS AN URGENT AND CONTINUING NEED FOR SPARE PARTS FOR THE CASH REGISTERS IT HANDLES . LIPTONS ALSO MAINTAINS THAT HIGH STANDARDS OF SERVICE , MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR ARE IMPORTANT FACTORS IN ITS BUSINESS IN RESPECT OF THE CASH REGISTERS IT SELLS AND ALSO IN RESPECT OF THOSE WHICH ARE HIRED OUT SINCE THE HIRE AGREEMENT CARRIES AN OBLIGATION FOR LIPTONS TO KEEP THE MACHINES IN GOOD RUNNING ORDER . THIS SERVICE LIPTONS REGARDS AS PARTICULARLY ESSENTIAL IF IT IS TO KEEP THOSE OF ITS CUSTOMERS WHO USE CASH REGISTERS IN THEIR RETAIL BUSINESS IN VIEW OF THE DISRUPTIVE EFFECT ON SUCH BUSINESS IF THEIR CASH REGISTERS ARE NOT RELIABLE .
LIPTONS HAD IN 1972 INVESTED OVER POUND ST . 25 000 IN THE PURCHASE OF HUGIN MACHINES AND SPARE PARTS FOR ITS RENTING BUSINESS WHICH HAS PROVED VERY SUCCESSFUL . RENTAL INCOME FOR ALL MAKES INCREASED FROM POUND ST . 3 500 IN 1970 TO POUND ST . 43 776 IN 1975 . THE PERCENTAGE OF THIS INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE RENTING OUT OF HUGIN MACHINES , HOWEVER , FELL FROM 62 % AT THE OUTSET TO UNDER 6 % IN 1975 ENTIRELY DUE TO THE REFUSAL TO SUPPLY SPARE PARTS . IF HUGIN UK HAD NOT REFUSED TO SUPPLY SPARE PARTS , LIPTONS STATES THAT IT WOULD HAVE EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN A HIGH PROPORTION OF HUGIN MACHINES ON LEASE AND TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EXPAND THEIR RENTING BUSINESS EVEN MORE AS HUGIN MACHINES WERE PARTICULARLY SUITED TO LIPTONS ' TYPE OF BUSINESS .
THE RESULT OF HUGIN UK ' S WITHDRAWAL OF SPARE PARTS WAS TO BRING TO AN END THE BUSINESSES OF SERVICING AND MAINTAINING NEW HUGIN MACHINES AS LIPTONS HAD NO CONTINUED ACCESS TO NEW SPARE PARTS WITH WHICH TO SERVICE OR MAINTAIN THESE MACHINES . THE BUSINESS OF BUYING , SELLING , RECONDITIONING AND RENTING OUT OF HUGIN MACHINES WAS SEVERELY RESTRICTED AS , WHEN EXISTING STOCKS OF SPARE PARTS WERE EXHAUSTED , LIPTONS WERE REDUCED TO DISMANTLING THEIR HUGIN