BMJ
BUILDERS MERCHANTS JOURNAL
Partner Focus: 100+ years
Fairalls: 117 years
Managing director: Bob Fairall Location: Godstone
Q: How long have you been in business?
Fairalls started in 1900 and has been growing ever since.
Q: How did the business get started?: Our founder, George Fairall, was a coal
merchant who started excavating sand by hand shovel to provide return loads on his horse and cart. Our main heavyside depot continues to be based in the original sandpit, just outside Godstone in Surrey.
Q: Is it still owned by the same people/ family now? Yes – George Fairall, our founder, was my grandfather and my son, Richard, is very much involved in the business today.
Q: What are the biggest/most
noticeable changes you think the industry has seen over the years? The growth of the ‘nationals’ has been a huge change, as has the mechanisation of movement of stock. Plus, of course, computerisation which has made a massive difference.
Q: How has the company developed? We have grown in size in every respect and addressed the ‘changes’ in the answers above.
Q: What plans do you have for the next 100 years? A plan .....! What’s that?
Beers Timber & Building Supplies: 100 years
Q: How long have you been in business? Since 1916. We started out as timber suppliers to the coffin, furniture and tool trades as well as selling Government surplus timber.
Q: Is it still owned by the same people/family now? Yes. The current Beers family are the 4th generation of owners.
Q: What are the biggest/most noticeable changes you think the industry has seen over the years? Definitely the speed at which business is done nowadays throughout the industry.
Q: How has the company developed? We started with a small office 100 years ago, with stocks being held at the Docks to now having six Beers branches, six MBS Plumbing and Heatig branches and a timber mill.
BMJ January 2017 Building our Brands 15
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