Notice Board
Family Business Through & Through
APL has always been a family thing. Ann-Marie and I actually went to school together. We dated as teenagers, split up, then got back together at 21. Next year we’ ll celebrate 20 years of marriage, and she’ s been part of the business for more than two decades. It was Ann-Marie and her late mum who encouraged me to go out on my own. Her mum even bought me my first private plate, and, since then. I’ ve collected a few more: AU70 LOX, APL 10X, F175 LOX, and K1 2LOX. Even the vans are part of the story; my first was a yellow Ford, currently we’ ve got three vans on the road.
Our daughters get involved too. Scarlet cleans the machines and hoovers out my van. Millie-Jo helps her mum with admin when she can, though she’ s carving her own path in hospitality. She’ s a great cook and even competed against 13,000 students in London, finishing 10th in the competition. She’ s now working in hotels, but has expressed an interest in helping Ann-Marie with the admin, and she’ ll always be very welcome.
Love, Hate & Lessons I love the trade. Meeting people, helping them out when they’ re stuck, solving problems- that’ s part of the job that never gets boring. What I don’ t like is admin or staff issues, but we’ re in a good place right now. Having the right people makes all the difference.
Locksmithing has always been about adapting. I did my BLI exam training with the MLA, but I taught myself most of the auto locksmithing side- my mechanical background helped due to racing stock cars when I was younger- the rest I learned by reading magazines, practising, and learning on the job. My joinery background definitely helped too, having nimble fingers and a practical mindset is half the battle.
I’ ve enjoyed watching the business evolve over the years- from just me, to running a shop, and now expanding into the auto side of things. The work never gets boring; it always keeps me on my toes, as nothing ever stands still for long. Police forensics jobs, stolen and recovered vehicles, and making keys for seized cars and those used in crimes
APL Locksmiths is a Stockportbased locksmith business founded in November 2001 by Anthony Lomax. Over the last 25 years, the company has grown from a one-man van operation to a team of five, offering a full range of locksmith services including domestic, commercial, and automotive work. APL prides itself on honesty, reliability, and a family-first ethos, with a reputation built on word of mouth and longstanding customer relationships.
www. apllocksmiths. co. uk 0161 442 4243 info @ apllocksmiths. co. uk
so they can be sent to auction have all become part of what we do.
Looking Back & Looking Forward
This year marks 25 years of APL Locksmiths. We’ ll be celebrating with the lads at a bigger than normal Christmas do! Hitting this milestone feels good, not just because we’ ve lasted, but because we’ ve built something that’ s trusted and valued. Customers keep coming back, and that says it all.
The plan is to keep doing what we do best: being reliable, honest, and ready when people need us. We’ re MLA members, and I’ ll always keep learning by going to the MLA Expo and staying in-touch with our suppliers and up to date with any new developments. Locksmithing never stands still, and neither do we!
NOVEMBER 2025
9
Issue Takeover locksmithjournal. co. uk