Partner Focus: 100+ years
BMJ
BUILDERS MERCHANTS JOURNAL
151- not out
NBG Partner Higgins of Wellingborough celebrated 150 years as a builders merchant in 2016 and enters 2017 as strong as ever – with the same family still in charge.
The key to longevity in this business is knowing your customers and taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. That’s how NBG Partner Higgins of
Wellingborough got as far as celebrating its 150 years as a builders merchant in 2016.
The company began in 1866, when Thomas Henry Higgins opened his stonemasonry yard on Midland Road, Wellingborough. As more and more customers started to request stonework and building materials supplied at the same time, the company gradually company evolved into a builders merchants.
By the 1890s, the business was growing
nicely, helped by Thomas Henry Higgins Junior, the son of the founder. Market days in Wellingborough were good sources of customers for the business and Higgins Jr spent much of his time in Thrapston or The Griffin pub in Higham Ferrers, taking orders and collecting money. By the turn of the century, it became obvious that a second depot was required and an opportunity presented itself in Kettering in 1902. The town was an ideal location, being half a day’s horse and cart drive from Wellingborough, making Higgins’ delivery service one of the most efficient in those days.
In 1939 Higgins Building Supplies became a limited company, and at the end of the war, Gordon Liddington, the son-in-law of Thomas Henry Higgins Jnr. and a skilled mason, left the Army and joined the company to manage the Kettering depot. The third generation of Higgins to run the company, Colonel John Higgins
came out of the Army in 1959 and, a year later, was joined by a friend’s son, Stuart Redman, who joined Higgins as an apprentice. Redman spent fifty two years with the business, thirty of them as a board member, before retiring in 2012. Generation number four, Terry Higgins, had initially joined the in 1957 after completing National Service with the Royal Artillery. He became managing director in 1978 and his son, Nigel, took over on his retirement in 1996.
In 2003, it became obvious that the company needed to move to help its future growth. So Higgins grabbed another opportunity and bought the current 4.5 acre site on Turnells Mill Lane in Wellingborough, officially opening in January 2004. Higgins’ expansion continued in 2012, when the company bought a second two acre site on Station Road in Irthlingborough, extensively renovating it and finally opening in 2013, extending Higgins’ reach into a broader geographical market.
Celebration time
In 2016 Higgins decided to celebrate its 150 years of supplying the building trade with a year of celebrations and an open day at the Wellingborough site for its customers and suppliers.
Higgins also used the commemorative open day to stage the official opening of the recently refurbished counter area at the Wellingborough branch.
Following a sizeable investment by the company, this area now benefits from a larger, brighter and more open plan layout with a greater variety of products on display. This enables customers to more easily browse before they buy and helps to simplify the product selection process. HM Lord Lieutenant for Northamptonshire, Mr David Laing, cut the ribbon to declare the new counter area open assisted by Mrs Betty Higgins - wife of Colonel John Higgins. The company also held a charity raffle which raised £350 for the Alzheimer’s Society. The prizes on offer included restaurant vouchers, Higgi bears and a Bose Bluetooth speaker. Current managing director Nigel Higgins said: “The Higgins 150th
16
anniversary open day was always designed to be one of the highlights in a year of celebratory events and initiatives. After months of preparation and planning, we’re delighted it was so well attended by customers and so well supported by our suppliers. “We decided to combine the event with the official opening of the new trade counter area at our Wellingborough branch in order to make an important point about the business. Namely that we are proud of our past, but equally committed to the future.
“This significant investment will help
ensure Higgins is perfectly placed to build on its impressive history and to meet the needs of our trade and DIY customers for many years to come.”
Building our Brands January 2017 BMJ
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