100 Year Old Independent Lancashire Firms on the Web
Part One
Quick Navigation: §1 Explanatory | §2 Theory | §3 Chronological | §4 Full List of Companies | §5 Non-Independent Firms
Preface
"In the future as in the past we shall do our best to continue, in spite of the difficult period we are all passing through, to give an unrivalled service."
Part of a 1951 advert for one of the long-established independent Lancashire firms that has traded through two world wars, the 1930s depression, the post war austerity years and today continues to exist as one of the 100+ year old independent Lancashire businesses listed in this article. It is not the type of 'Vision' statement that perhaps would go down well today, but it represents an attitude that was appropriate for the time; an honest approach that was good enough to ensure many years of profitable trading.
Contents
1.1 Aims of the Article
1.2 Introduction
1.3 Criteria for Inclusion
Section 2: Economic Theory of Corporate Longevity
2.1 Theory of Corporate Longevity
2.2 Safe Business Sectors (Porter's Five Forces Model)
2.3 Negative Sides to Business Longevity
Section 3: Chronological List of Companies
3.1 List of Companies
3.2 Contact Details for Submitting Companies to the List
Section 4: Companies by Sector
4.1 Manufacturing and Construction Sector
4.2 Food and Drink Sector
4.3 Wholesale and Retail Sector
4.4 Financial and Business Services Sector
4.5 Transport Sector
4.6 Tourism Sector
4.7 Funeral Directors/Monumental Masons
4.8 Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
Section 5: Selected Non-Independent Firms
5.1 Old Lancashire Firms Now Part of Larger Organisations
5.2 Other Old Independent Firms
Section 1: Explanatory Text
1.1 Aims of This Article
The overall aim of this article is to highlight as many as possible of the large number of independent and predominantly family-owned Lancashire companies that have been trading for over 100 years. At the same time, it is useful to try and identify some common themes that may indicate why these firms have managed to survive for so long.
The year 2007 was particularly noteworthy in the case of independent Lancashire firms reaching their centenary, however 2008 appears to be a quiet year for Lancashire firms reaching 100 years of age. Only two Lancashire firm, Turners Sunblinds in Blackburn, and Waddington & Son Solicitors in Burnley and Padiham, have so far been identified as established in 1908.
The picture should be somewhat different in 2009 with another good year expected for independent Lancashire firms reaching this goal. Bambers of Preston, a town centre furniture retailer, is perhaps the most well known company that will soon achieve this landmark. The other companies are Marland Builders of Leyland; J Wareing & Son in Wrea Green near Kirkham that specialise in steel framed structures; KM Chartered Accountants in Burnley ; Briggs & Duxbury, a building firm in Barnoldswick and finally, Clark & Sons a removals firm in Poulton-le-Fylde.
As the 100-year anniversary of the start of the First World War approaches, there appears to be fewer local independent firms expected to reach this landmark. The economic, social and political environment that faces a firm within the first few formative years of trading affects the chances of that business reaching a mature age. It now seems likely that it will not be until 2019 when once again so many old independent Lancashire firms will together celebrate a centenary of trading.
1.2 Introduction
Lancashire residents are able to purchase an enormously wide variety of everyday products and services from local firms that are over 100 years old and which retain local independent ownership. In the County it is possible to save or take out a mortgage, sell a house and employ a removals firm, shop in large modern foodstores, book a holiday and be taken to the airport, catch a bus, have a glass of beer, purchase a range of locally-made food products, buy furniture, toys, hardware, jewellery etc., stay in a hotel, or have a day out at a major Theme Park, and on each occasion use a Lancashire business that is over 100 years old.
Lancashire has a Solicitors firm that claims to be the oldest family firm of solicitors in which the original founding family has maintained its involvement throughout the company's history.
Britain's last Temperance Bar is still trading in the county, whilst in contrast Lancashire has a wine merchants business that is considered by many experts across the country to be an absolute gem. You can even have a website designed by a Lancashire company that is well over 100 years old.
Mention must also be made of a Lancashire soap manufacturer that was founded in Belarus in the 19th Century. The company managed to survive two forced moves as a result of the Russian Revolution and the need to leave Berlin in 1937 before finally settling in Chorley in 1938.
Even in today's fast moving commercial environment, there is plenty of room for well-managed local companies that know how to satisfy their customers and which have amassed a large amount of what accountants officially term as 'Goodwill'.
Many of these companies do not operate in safe business segments where barriers to market entry for new firms are high and competition is limited, but have managed to carve their own particular niches in some of the most competitive business sectors around.
Economic strategy documents often extol the virtues of increasing the number of new businesses, however Lancashire does not have impressive rates of new business start-ups as measured by the VAT Business Registrations and De-Registrations data for the County. The long-term pattern is of the Lancashire business stock growing at a very much slower pace than the national average. Paragraph 2.1 of this article also touches on the low survival rates for new businesses. These two and other factors such as levels of Gross Value Added and Household Incomes combine to present a negative picture of the Lancashire economy. The County certainly faces a number of economic challenges, but one somewhat neglected aspect of the Lancashire economy is the fact that it has an impressive collection of long-established and independently owned businesses that make a major contribution to local employment and help to underpin local pride and promote local patronage.
Lancashire was at the forefront of the industrial revolution and in comparison to other parts of the country has a bias towards older companies. In terms of long-established independent firms that have been trading through good and bad economic times the County has an impressive record.
At the time these old established firms first began trading, they did not have the range of business support services available to today's new starters, nor were they counted as contributing to business start-up target figures or their employees recorded as successful employment placement outcomes. In mitigation to this rather light-hearted statement, it has to be said that today's new businesses are likely to benefit from all the useful help that they can get just to survive the first year in business.
In general, prosperity is increasing each year and many new customers are beginning to seek out local suppliers that offer something a bit different. Those well-established local firms that have a long history of driving up quality and not just driving down price are now in a strong position to tap in to the desire to move away from the standardised offerings from much larger businesses.
Together these Lancashire firms provide employment for thousands of people in Lancashire, and together have products and reputations that are well-known beyond the County. This article celebrates their long-standing success and continued independence.
This is the second edition of this article and future editions will include more qualifying firms as they come to light.
1.3 Criteria for Inclusion
The following represents a list of criteria that ideally need to be satisfied in full for inclusion in this article.
- the company's head office is in the 14-district Lancashire European NUTS-2 area;
- the company is independent and not owned by a larger commercial organisation;
- the company offers a product or service to the public or other businesses;
- the company has an uninterrupted trading history in excess of 100 years that does not include any period in public ownership (e.g., former local authority bus companies) or any other form of non-fully commercial status;
- the company maintains an active website that hopefully includes historical details, and which confirms its continued existence as an independent entity.
Criterion number two presents the most difficulty and some of the companies may be run by individuals who have business interests in other firms, but the essence is that they are not run by larger trading companies. For this reason Surridge Sport in Burnley, which can trace its history back to 1867 but is now one of three trading brands of the SDL Group formed in 1977, is not included. Also Cookson & Clegg in Blackburn (started in 1860) now seems to be part of a larger organisation. Applying this particular criterion does highlight a number of difficult grey areas. Other firms have crept in to the main list when perhaps they should not have been included. A company website may imply a firm is independent, but at a later date the website of their parent company may come to light and a different picture is presented.
In 2007, a company that was previously had an entry in the main list 'Vernon Carus' was taken over by Synergy Healthcare.
Firms that have been through financial difficulties, but have continued to trade pose a particular problem. Should the fact that Roach Bridge Tissues being forced to enter administration in 2000 detract from the fact that it has a trading history that began in 1875, and is still run by a family firm? It is a fine line on occasion between including or excluding a company from the main list, and whilst this firm does not have a main entry, some in similar circumstances have been included.
A company that was previously in the main list of old companies was the CCA Group. A local press report mentioned that the firm went in to administration in 2007, and due to the lack of information to verify the situation on the company's website it has been deleted from the main list.
Please see Section 5.1 for examples of old Lancashire firms that are now part of much larger organisations.
The final criterion has not been applied in all cases, but websites easily allow facts to be verified and there is a very strong preference for including companies with their own sites. There is not enough time to undertake in-depth academic research to publish this list of firms therefore there has to be a large amount of reliance on easily accessible published data from the businesses themselves.
There are a number of other Lancashire firms that probably could be included in this list, but without websites, the limited amount of information available on their age and ownership status is time-consuming to verify therefore they have at present been withheld from the list. Even with this relatively cautious approach to including companies, there is still a chance that errors have arisen and these will be corrected as they come to light.
There are business areas such as semi and professional football clubs, other sport-related clubs and societies, trade associations etc., which have been in existence for over a century. It is difficult to know exactly where to draw the boundary for what to include and exclude. In general terms the emphasis has been given to include businesses that operate in what the average person would consider is a normal commercial environment.
The final part of this article mentions some well-known Lancashire firms that have been in existence for over 100 years, but are now part of much larger organisations. This short additional list emphasises the fact that a loss of local ownership does not have to lead to the loss of a famous old Lancashire brand and that these firms remain important employers in the County.
Section 2: Economic Theory of Corporate Longevity
2.1 Theory of Corporate Longevity
The main activities of most firms have been possible only since the industrial revolution, but some old firms may originate from long-established sectors such as agriculture, hotels, the building trade and solicitors. In general terms it is unusual for a firm to be in existence for a long period of time therefore these long-established Lancashire firms are somewhat special.
Many large firms disappear each year as a result of merger, acquisition, bankruptcy or break-up. For small companies, the market is even less forgiving and the first year is usually the hardest. It is for this reason that it is worth considering long-established Lancashire firms and try and see if there are any common themes that point to their success and continued existence.
The Lancashire Profile website contains a research monitor on VAT Business Survival Rates. Table 3 in the article states that for the UK as a whole only just over 31% of firms are still trading after 10 years, let alone 100 years.
There is also a complementary research monitor that discusses the age of VAT-based enterprises. The emphasis of the article is on survival rates in the first ten years of business, but there are pointers to underlying themes of business longevity and Lancashire's position relative to the rest of the country.
There are a number of academic articles that consider the secrets of long-term business survival. A selection of the most important factors include the following:
- Firms run by generations of the same family.
- Firms must avoid being torn apart by feuding heirs, therefore unity and trust in the family are vital
- Take on new managers if there are no appropriate family members to take over the business.
- By the end of each generation, family firms need to have built enough business acumen, trust and financial strength so that the next generation has the determination and resources to take the business forward.
- Firms have had to evolve to keep pace with the times. Need a good grasp of the firm's core competence.
The above list emphasises the importance of continued family ownership and this is one of the most striking factors amongst Lancashire's long-term independent survivors. An analysis of the Lancashire firms highlights the following common themes and important issues:
- A commitment to continued family ownership. In the case of Moorhouse, the breakdown of this tradition almost led to the collapse of the firm.
- Solicitors firms are well represented in this list of companies and in their case the continuity of family ownership is replaced by a continuity developed by the introduction of new partners.
- There are however examples of family firms being bought out by new owners or taken over by company managers in position at the time. The example of Samuel Cooke & Co. seems to have been one of senior employers within the firm gradually taking over as family involvement appears to have declined over the years.
- A vision that may be summed up in a particular sentence that is as relevant today as it was when the firm originally started trading. Otherwise the vision may be more implicit in the proud history of the business, which is strong enough to see it through the good times and the bad.
- Strong local and even national brands that have created loyalty amongst the general public or business customers that offer some advantage over larger competitors in the same sectors.
- Although they have all had to move with the times, most are still predominantly doing what they have always done with some tweaking of the product range and taking onboard modern business practices. On the whole the firms have stayed true to their original business model, however some have moved in to important new additional areas such as Leyprint. Mitchells no longer brew beer but instead concentrate on managing their pubs and hotels. On the other hand Moorhouses began by producing Hop Bitters that were low in alcohol, and deemed to be "non-intoxicating liquours" but is now brews a range of alcoholic beers.
- Althams Catering Butchers in the mid-70s saw a decline in retail trade and decided to expanded further into the catering sector and move in to markets further afield.
- John Spencer Textiles, after a major period of trading difficulties in the '70s, decided that the new business model would concentrate on a wide range of fabrics, but not more than 10% of any one particular type of cloth to avoid an over reliance on a small number of large buyers who were increasingly sourcing their products from cheaper options abroad.
- Gillibrand started building horse-drawn carts and the firm had its own wheelwrights shop and blacksmiths forge, but nowadays undertakes the repair of motor vehicles as well as repairing and painting of large commercial vehicles.
- AMA Dataset has been involved in typesetting and printing over the past 150 years, but printing was discontinued in the 1980s. The company has moved with the times to provide a specialist typesetting, database design and consultancy service for publishers and other organisations and nowadays relies on an associate company in India for assistance with larger projects.
- James Proctor commenced trading with the idea for stoking boilers automatically, yet nowadays the emphasis on energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the company is committed to produce biomass and renewable energy combustion systems.
- Roberts & Co has always been involved in the tea and coffee trade but has developed its markets over time with shifting economic patterns. From its original Liverpool base, servicing major maritime- based customers was an important market. The decline of port activities led to a focus on the Catering trade and the company als0 moved on to establishing speciality tea and coffee shops.
- Moving with the times is probably best expressed by viewing the website of Winter & Kidson Multimedia. This is a multimedia group where the their original work areas of artwork and photography have now moved on to encompass areas such as web design.
- Whittle Movers Group expanded its services to cover not just household removals but now also office, commercial and public service removals.
- Thwaites Brewery is a Public Limited Company and the shares held by board members preclude a hostile takeover. The list does not appear to contain any company that could fall to a hostile bid.
- A number of firms mention that they remain close to, or occupy the original site where the firm was founded (see section 2.3).
2.2 Safe Business Sectors (Porter's Five Forces Model)
To try and understand how these businesses have survived for so long it is worth considering the market sectors in which they operate in terms of Michael Porter's fives forces model. This is a useful model that helps to analyse the competitive environment of a particular industrial sector. It is not the intention in this article to go in to detail about the model but just to list the main headings and consider their implications on the firms.
The five forces are summed up under the following headings:
- Competitive Rivalry
- Power of suppliers
- Power of buyers
- Threats of substitutes
- Threat of new entrants
Solicitors account for a number of the long-established Lancashire firms listed in this article. They operate in a long-established business sector where the factors highlighted in the Porter model work in their favour. Major multi-national competitors in the local economy are not apparent therefore competition is mainly between a selection of small and medium-sized firms. Barriers to entry for new firms trying to establish themselves are high, and solicitors are not in a sector where powerful suppliers can squeeze their profit margins. Customers need to use their services and the threat of substitute products is limited to non-existent. It is also a sector not known for cut-throat price competition. It all adds up to almost perfect long-term trading conditions for firms.
Other business sectors that have a noticeable presence in the list of old established firms include Butchers, Jewellers, Hardware/ Building Supplies, Funeral Directors, Printing, Solid Fuels and Removals firms. Each has its own particular circumstances that lead to small independent firms finding their niche.
Many of the smaller retailers listed in this article would find most of the factors in the Porter model working against them. They compete against much larger rivals, they have only limited buying power over their suppliers, customers have a number of other choices, there is always the threat of new entrants to the market and of substitute products affecting profit margins.
A number manage to survive against much larger competitors due to loyal customers, personalised service and a large amount of local goodwill. These appear to be strong enough factors to resist the adverse market conditions that would stifle other new small local entrants to these sectors. These are the type of specialist local preferences and customer loyalty factors that counteract the pure economic logic expressed in the Porter model.
On the specific points raised by the model concerning the competitive conflict between buyers and suppliers it is useful to consider in particular the details provided for three of the Lancashire companies. John Spencer Textiles through bitter experience, now avoids an over reliance on a small number of large buyers whilst James Hall & Co stresses the importance of developing long lasting partnerships with its customers where both can successfully grow together. The foodstores operator Booths is proud to stress its long-standing tradition of sourcing products locally with at least 25% of its products at any one time locally produced. Dealing with these local suppliers can give the company some competitive edge and product differential when faced with the enormous buying power and competitive pressures from the likes of Tesco and Asda.
These examples emphasise a spirit of mutual support and partnership between buyers and suppliers that is somewhat removed from the model of economic dominance of one side over the other. Both sides need each other and this is perhaps especially true for small and medium-sized companies.
Perhaps Booths and Althams Travel are the best examples of medium-sized firms existing in highly competitive sectors that manage to survive against far larger multi-nationals. They are not of a scale to exert enormous power over their suppliers and price competition from bigger rivals is intense. Their reputations and customer focus mean that they can survive when the economic theory states that the market acting in a rational manner should lead to their demise. Local loyalty, personal service combined with running a well-managed business all add up over the long-term to creating the type of economic goodwill that allows them to survive.
2.3 Negative Sides to Business Longevity?
One final point to consider is does longevity matter? Should firms live fast and then be sold-off, taken over or wound-up at a young age?
In theory there could be negative sides to business longevity, if companies whose products have become obsolete have lost money in continuing trading when the business was no longer viable. The point of business is to create value and to do something useful, not just to survive to be a mediocre company that may actually stifle the creation of small companies that given a chance to establish themselves could be more competitive. It may alternatively be the case that better use could actually be made of their land or labour resources by other businesses in different commercial sectors.
Informal criticisms of Lancashire-based firms both old and new have revolved around the assertion that some are happy to stay within their comfort zones and not move on to achieve their full potential. Figures on the wealth creation in Lancashire as expressed by levels of Gross Value Added, reveal that per head, the GVA rate in Lancashire is only 82% of the UK average (UK=100%) and that the differential has been growing over recent years.
It is a fact that a number of these firms were successfully trading at a time when today's multi-nationals in the same sectors had not even been created or were themselves still minor businesses, but if they had grown more rapidly over the years would that have led to them becoming more susceptible to becoming public traded companies and open to takeover?
Perhaps over the years a handful of these businesses could have achieved greater things and maybe their presence has been enough to inhibit one or two other local firms in these sectors from establishing themselves. This type of speculation is purely hypothetical, and what is certain is that these are companies with staying power and those type of businesses tend to be successful. They continue to satisfy their customers, have an important future role in the local economy even though many of these mature Lancashire companies are concentrated in market segments not known for high levels of Gross Value Added. For example, there are a number of Textile firms listed in this article and although Lancashire textile firms are on average 10% more efficient than nationally, in absolute terms the sector records low levels on Gross Value Added when compared with other industrial sectors.
Low rates of new business formation in Lancashire, and above average levels of firms in relatively mature but often lower-value business sectors, are not signs of economic dynamism, but they do tend to encourage business longevity.
It is not all doom and gloom however, and the company websites for these old firms include examples of preferred supplier status to key multi-national organisations, and involvement in major projects. There are many examples of awards for business success amongst these established companies. A research monitor that details the winners of the Queen's Awards for Enterprise in Lancashire reveals that three of these firms (one under its former name) have won awards for excellence in International Trade, of which one has won the award on three separate occasions.
Other firms contained in this list are pround of the awards that they have received over the years, including large firms such as EH Booth & Co. Ltd, and the smaller businesses such as D Byrne & Co, Roberts & Co and Fredericks Ice Cream Ltd.
A number of these long-established businesses mention the fact that they are still trading from, or close to, their original location. This raises the question whether their present site and/or building are appropriate for modern needs. Cherry Tree Machines is a company that has located to new purpose built premises over recent years close to the M65 motorway. The value of its former site in the Cherry Tree area of Blackburn was exploited to the full by its total redevelopment for upmarket housing.
This type of relocation is not uncommon but many of the old established are still trading from, or are close to their original sites. Over a long period of time, the suitability of particular buildings and the popularity of certain locations will change sometimes quite dramatically. Is the present site suitable for the amount of traffic generated, is it big enough, is it too old, is it still an area of town popular with shoppers or could better use be made of a sought after land asset and the firm relocate? Firms that have been around for many years may be faced with such issues that need to be addressed if they are to continue to prosper.
A Centenary Souvenir handbook dated 1951 for one of Lancashire's towns contains a number of commercial adverts from firms that were proud to display their dates of establishment. Many at the time had been trading for over 100 years, but even though they had survived depressions and world wars, the rapid pace of economic change in the second half of the 20th Century saw most of them disappear. This has not been the case for the firms listed in this article, and although the recent past has been a sustained period of economic growth, it is important to look at the long term. If one or two of these firms have reached a comfortable old age, then it has been a very tough road to get there and they are not likely to be found wanting if economic conditions take a turn for the worst.
Section 3: Chronological List of Companies
3.1 List of Companies
This is not a completely comprehensive list of local firms that have been in business for over 100 years. A number of firms that could be included have been identified via adverts etc, but without websites, details of ownership etc., are extremely limited. Each firm will be included when sufficient details come to light.
The name of the firms are listed in chronological order by date of establishment and are also listed in much more detail under broad industrial sector headings.
Chronological Listing of Old Lancashire Firms Still Independently Trading
| Name (click the name to go to the company's detailed entry) |
Business Activity | Date Established | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackhurst, Swainson, Goodier | Solicitors | 1720 | www.bsglaw.co.uk |
| George Anderson Stationers Ltd | Stationers | 1721 | www.ganderson.co.uk |
| Henry Ibbotson & Son Ltd | Builders | 1756 | www.ibbotson-const.co.uk |
| Woodcock & Sons | Solicitors | 1791 | www.woodcocks.co.uk |
| Southerns Solicitors | Solicitors | 1792 | www.southernslaw.co.uk |
| Dickson Haslam | Solicitors | 1797 | www.dicksonhaslam.com |
| James Baxter & Son | Potted shrimps | 1799 | none |
| Name (click the name to go to the company's detailed entry) |
Business Activity | Date Established | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cowmans | Butcher | Unknown | www.cowmans.co.uk |
| Huntleys | Farm shop | Unknown | www.huntleys.co.uk |
| J&J Ormerod PLC | Kitchens & bedrooms manufacturer | Unknown | www.jjoplc.com |
| The Sutcliffe Tool Co. Ltd | Tool supplier | Unknown | www.sutcliffe-tools.co.uk |
| Woodhey Engineering Co. Ltd | Precision engineers | Unknown | www.woodheyengineering.co.uk |
3.2 Contact Details for Submitting Companies to the List
It is in no way suggested that this list is totally comprehensive or that it does not perhaps contain some errors. If any reader is aware of companies that could be added to the list of firms in this article then please submit details to the email contact below. Please note that we are aware of a number of companies not on this list that are more than likely entitled to an entry but the lack of a website means that we have erred on the side of caution and not included their details. Verifiable information sources are important for including qualifying companies that do not maintain their own website.
For further details, or if you have any ideas for improving the content of this article, please contact:
Bryan Moulding
Tel 01772 534172
Email Bryan.Moulding@lancashire.gov.uk
Part Two: Full List of Companies by Sector