08 | Aycliffe Today Business
Bringing Aycliffe Business Park Together | 09
was central to the restructuring of the
business and the skills and knowledge he
has brought to the table continue to be
invaluable.
”
STILLER
ROUND
The previous Stiller Group had three
divisions – warehousing and distribution,
tankers and transport. The transport
section was closed and the tankers sold in
2009, and the company consolidated into
warehousing and distribution.
But then came the fire in 2010. At 1.04pm
on 5th November (of all the dates), a
raging blaze started to rip through the
heart of its main warehouse. It was
arguably Stiller’s biggest challenge yet.
The Stiller team: Paul (sat down), Gillian, Matthew and director Andrew Winney
Paul Stiller talks to Martin Walker about business, history and pigs…
Talking to different companies
around Aycliffe Business Park,
it’s evidently clear there’s an
interesting story behind every
one of them.
But few will be able to boast as much
fascinating history as Stiller Warehousing
and Distribution.
Sure, most people reading this now will
probably think I’m referring to a fire that
made national TV news a little over two
years ago.
But we’re not. That is, undoubtedly, a
major part of the firm’s history, and we’ll
touch on that later.
We’re talking about how an Aycliffe firm
that now employs 100 staff and has an
annual turnover of £10m was started
nearly 70 years ago with, er, half a pig.
Gunter Stiller – Paul’s father – was from
Silesia in the Eastern part of Germany
and served in the German Army Infantry
during World War Two. He was part of the
occupying forces in Guernsey and upon his
capture was transported up to Teesdale,
where he was held on Lord Barnard’s
Estate.
Due to his farming background, Gunter
was made to work on farms and, on being
released at the end of the War, was
given one pig to share with a fellow
Prisoner of War.
His homeland was taken by Russia and
given to Poland, which prompted him to
stay in the North-East of England, where
he met Audrey, the daughter of the local
Methodist preacher and shop-owner in a
small village called Ingleton near Gainford,
in between Darlington and Barnard Castle.
Gunter eventually bought the other half of
the pig from his friend, started breeding
and ended up with a heard of pigs. Then,
in 1954, he sold the pigs to buy his first
truck, and Stiller Transport was born.
The company has been through many
highs and lows since. Gunter retired in
1985 and handed it over to son Paul.
Shortly after relocation to Newton Aycliffe
in 2001, the company hit its peak, with a
workforce of 760 and a turnover in excess
of £50m.
But the recession hit badly, and Paul
faced some tough decisions. Stiller didn’t
just have to downsize, it had to change
direction. They’re now better for it.
Turnover might be down, but so are Paul’s
stress levels. And profitability is up.
We sit and chat over a coffee in his office,
the walls adorned with framed pictures of
some of his Dad’s original vehicles. One is
a classic red AEC truck, registration plate
740 2RF
.
“The five-year-old boy licking an