Cook’s of Bedford – A Family Business
ToolBusiness and James Carrier take up the story…
ToolBusiness and Hire: We know how the business started, but there have been some exciting new developments in the recent past. Tell us a bit more about those.
James Carrier: We are still a family run business and my stepson Charlie has now joined us,
which is great news for the continuation of Cooks as a family-run business. In 2000 I decided to change the approach of Cooks from a retail outlet (plus accounts) based in Bedford Town Centre, and moved into purpose-built units in Kempston. This move aimed to change and develop the business and put it into a stronger position to serve local industry. This eventually proved to be a successful move. The recession in early 2000/1 was a great challenge, but with hard work, we
A Brief History of
Cook’s of Bedford… Cooks of Bedford was established in 1948 when then-owner, Ron Cook,
started selling tools from the back of a converted ambulance in East Anglia. His next move was to purchase suitable premises in Bedford to store and sell tools. In post-war Britain, demand led to even further expansion for Cook’s This meant looking for larger premises which took Cook’s of Bedford to St. Mary’s Street. This is when Jim Carrier became involved with the company by purchasing the business from Ron. In 1962 the expanding business was forced to move again and suitable
premises were located, where a good retail area was available, together with new purpose built stores. Cooks remained in these premises for nearly 35 years. Even today after sixty years of growth, James aims to ensure that the company
continues to expand into new product ranges, supplying the changing needs of its customers.
began to move forward. Ironically, the hard work meant that the business expanded, so we decided to move once more. In 2012, the Council, (our landlords) seemed to feel that putting our rent up by
25% during a recession was a good idea. Good business sense meant that we decided to move across town. We managed to find a premises that increased the size of the unit from 4,600 sq ft to 10,000 sq ft for half of the rent the Council would have charged us.
ToolBusiness and Hire: Now that is a result!
James Carrier: Cook’s has invested heavily in the new premises to make the working
conditions as pleasant as possible, and still offering space to grow in the future, without having to move yet again. Like many businesses today, we recognize the importance of e- commerce and we feel that it is a key to our growth in the future, alongside our loyal business account and regular customers.
14 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE
www.toolbusiness.co.uk
Reply No. 207
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