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Hickleys Celebrates
90 Years in business
»»AT THE AGE OF 93,
starting work at 8.30am is still
the daily routine for John Meikle
at Somerset-based family firm,
Hickleys Ltd. It is 77 years since
he first joined and this year the
company celebrates 90 years in
business.
The company was founded by
his father, Leonard Meikle, in a
lock-up garage in Taunton where
he made a living selling car
batteries and recharging the two
volt accumulators that powered
domestic radios in those days.
The company then established
a specialist auto-electrical repair
service and moved into parts
wholesaling.
John says, ‘I was a salesman to
start with, driving a two cylinder
Jowett van with gravity-fed fuel
delivery. Some of the local hills
were so steep I had to reverse
up them! Times have changed
enormously during my time
with the Company and we have
survived and prospered where
others have not – we are one
of only two family motor trade
operators in our area that have
survived since pre-war. I am
quite sure that our survival is a
result of our ongoing willingness
to diversify.’
Through the fifties and sixties
the company grew strongly,
adding several new services
to its portfolio including car
and commercial diesel system
repairs and the supply of garage
equipm ent. Subsequently. a
tentative move into the refinish
market was made through
one salesman and a van
stocked with a range of refinish
products such as paint, fillers
and abrasives. The venture was
an instant success and rapid
expansion followed.
In the 1970s Duncan and
Andrew Meikle, the third
generation of the family,
joined the company. By
the end of the nineties the
business had grown further
with ten branches throughout
the South West and South
Wales, over 100 staff and
an annual turnover of £10
million.
In the 2000s came further
diversification with the
establishment of two new
business divisions; Healthcare
and Diagnostics. At about the
same time a decision was
taken to withdraw
from the refinish
market due to
y
le
i ck
HNH
high levels of competition and
ever-reducing profit margins.
The Refinish Division was sold
in 2008.
Current Chairman, Duncan
Meikle says, ‘Selling the
Refinish Division was a
very difficult decision as it
represented more than 50%
of the company. However,
success and longevity in
business is as much to do
with knowing when to get out
of a market as it is choosing
markets to expand into.’
The Garage Equipment
Division is currently rapidly
increasing in size with a
team of 15 sales specialists &
accredited engineers. Hickleys
covers the vast majority of the
UK and can offer anything
from a lift repair to a full
garage installation. Our close
association with Bosch has
developed to a position where
we are the UK stockists for the
range of Bosch vehicle lifts &
MOT bays. The company also
has a network of engineers that
can offer a range of emission
tester calibration services
across the UK.
The Healthcare
Division
supplies
consumables,
equipment
and furniture
to care homes
sL
’s
td
throughout
the
in the id 1940
m
South West and
has retail outlets in
Taunton and Bridgwater. As a
member of the Countrywide
Care Network, the division
supplies mobility products
such as scooters and ‘rise and
recline’ chairs to the Royal
British Legion throughout the
South West.
Duncan Meikle, Company Chairman on the left
with Managing Director, Robin Huish.
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | NOV/DEC 2016
John Meikle on the delivery
bicycle he used to ride
over 70 years ago.
The Diagnostics Division,
which now accounts for over
half the company’s turnover,
offers a comprehensive range
of automotive diagnostic
equipment and a specialist
range of keys and keyprogramming equipment.
More recently, the Hickleys
Automotive Academy training
school has been set up offering
highly specialist courses in
the field of key-programming
for domestic and autolocksmiths where customers
can learn highly technical skills
and open up new business
opportunities.
In its early days, the company
had an area of operation that
did not extend much further
than 25-30 miles from its
base. Now Hickleys sells its
products and services not
only throughout the UK but to
many countries internationally.
For instance, this September
the company will be sending
engineers to Ghana to carry
out a major garage equipment
installation.
www.hickleys.com