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COMPANY PROFILE
IBC storage tanks used to contain raw materials at the Stephenson manufacturing plant in Horsforth, Leeds
people in that chain. That’s what I’d love to do.” Bentley says he is talking to local farmers
about growing crops to form an ingredient for a shampoo. “We would be going to our customer base and saying ‘We have managed to grow this sustainably in the UK half an hour away from our factory.”
The idea would then be to sell sustainable
goods made locally as a premium solid format product. “The big driver is going to be the environmental impact of the product particularly the plastic and the water. “All the big companies have solid format
teams working on this behind the scenes and I think they know it’s coming, it’s just when the products are good enough to make the market really take off.”
End of an era? Stephenson recorded a net profit of £3.68 million on £34.87 million turnover in 2021, up from £2.67 million on £26.35 million a year earlier. Bentley says sales growth has grown consistently by around 15% a year over a ten- year period, sometimes 20-25% in a good year. As sales have grown, Stephenson has been
able to enjoy a virtuous circle by investing profits to become more efficient. The company has invested around £1.5 million in new equipment in the past four years. The small yet successful nature of
Stephenson makes it a natural acquisition target, as Bentley freely admits. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve had a lot more interest than we ever had in the
past, I would put that down to the accounts, the business is quite profitable now, based on its efficiency and innovation”. So is Stephenson up for sale? “I don’t
want to sell the business. Maybe I’ll view that differently in three to five years. I’m not hung up on this being a family business. “I’ve always been really clear on this: if you
build a business, you’ve got to build a saleable business - that makes you build a good business. “I haven’t finished yet and we haven’t finished building, there’s lots more we can do. I think this business would be a great fit for some of the bigger companies but I can also see a route to that through licensing and partnership.”
PC
PERSONAL CARE October 2022
www.personalcaremagazine.com
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