SUCCESS
1978 , Sue Ford
HS Group overcoming challenges as it celebrates 100 years of top-quality service
WORDS : SARAH WALKER
TOP DRAWER
E stablished in 1920 , Middlesbrough ’ s Hardware Supply Co has recently celebrated a century of service to local people – although in March 2020 it wasn ’ t sure it would even reach that proud milestone as Covid-19 sent the world into a spin .
Hardware Supply and HS Interiors were looking forward to putting out the balloons and bunting , but instead were forced to send their loyal staff home on furlough as the crisis bit .
Paul Faulkner , director of HS , admits it wasn ’ t the centenary year any of them would have hoped for .
“ We watched our 100-year celebrations go down the toilet – luckily for us , we have lots of toilets !”
At the height of the pandemic , Paul kept the trade side of the business running pretty much on his own .
Determined to keep the business his grandfather ( Algie ) and father ( Doug ) had built up alive , he rolled up his sleeves and got back to putting together orders in the warehouse before leaving them outside the door five minutes before contactless collection by his customers .
At the time there wasn ’ t enough demand to bring staff back to work and it was a delicate balancing act to keep HS operating throughout the spring .
“ Ultimately , you need the orders to come in to even be able to bring back staff , but you need staff to help generate orders !” he says .
Gradually , they were able to bring back staff across key departments by installing Covid-safe screens and new ordering and appointment systems .
It hasn ’ t all been plain sailing since then – challenges included home visits and work by tradesmen at a time when people were told not to have anyone in their homes , not to mention delays in the supply chain from Europe .
But demand has now returned , with high interest from commercial construction companies and trade , as well as homeowners looking to upgrade kitchens and bathrooms that they are now spending more time in .
“ People who ’ ve been working from home are also thinking , ’ I ’ m going to be here for quite a long time ’ and are renovating their houses to accommodate working from home .”
Paul is optimistic , hoping the current demand continues as a springboard for the company ’ s next 100 years .
“ While we ’ ve been much busier than we would have anticipated , we need consistency to help with future planning and nobody knows what is going to happen next year .
“ For the first time in over 25 years we are rethinking how we execute our annual bathroom and kitchen sale and what format this will take . We will still be planning to have some sort of sale from December 27 , but the format is still to be determined .”
His main concern is the welfare of his staff , some of whom remain on furlough , although hopefully not for too much longer .
“ We value all our staff ,” he says . “ The vast majority have worked with us for many years , some for 40 years , and those who have been back have worked exceptionally hard during this challenging year to keep us moving .”
Despite the strange and turbulent times , he is driven by the same thing as he was five , or even 50 years ago – and that ’ s providing top-quality products with a top-quality service .
He says : “ What drives me has always been the same thing and that is to give total customer satisfaction wherever we can .
“ It doesn ’ t matter whether the customer is buying a bag of screws or a £ 50,000 kitchen , whether they are a tradesperson or homeowner , the service has to be exactly the same top-quality and we look forward to continuing to serve customers in the North-East through 2021 and beyond .”
The Faulkner Building , North Ormesby Road , Middlesbrough , TS4 2AP | hsinteriors . co . uk | 01642 243 403
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