family.” Mark says that “people buy into a family business” adding: “They generally care more about their colleagues.
“Because we are a family business there is a feeling of family within the business and that runs across the country.”
And he adds: “Running a family business becomes about more than just money and I’m going to use the word ‘legacy’. That’s how I feel about it. You are never going to get that feeling in the corporate world.”
Chorley Group is another Lancashire headquartered family business with a distinguished past that continues to look to the future.
The motor trade is in current managing director Adam Turner’s blood. He spent his childhood growing up in car showrooms as dad Andrew, now group chairman, grew the business which started with the sale of used motors from the family home in 1989.
Adam joined full-time in 2010 after completing his university studies and took over as managing director in 2020 after spells in business development director and sales director roles. His aunt Pauline was the group’s previous MD.
He says: “I never had a conversation with my dad about coming into the business, it was just going to happen.
“I was in every day after school. I’ve been in the game since I was around three years old.”
Chorley Group currently operates 15 dealer franchises across the North West and employs close to 400 people. Adam says: “We’re proud of being a family business and we think that translates to how we operate. Our customers recognise and appreciate that.”
Looking at the advantages a family run concern has, he says: “It is speed of decision making. You can miss opportunities by being too slow.
“We also run our business like it is our own money because it is our own money. We invest it where we want to and for a reason. And we have strong business foundations, because we are in it for the long haul.
“You’re trying to protect the family silver and build longevity for the family. The decisions
we make are for the long-term sustainability of the business.”
Adam adds: “There’s also closeness in a family company. We have created an environment where people can flourish.
“As a family business grows there is a danger it loses that family feel and that is a challenge a lot of businesses will have.”
He believes having the right culture is key: “My dad said we treat every single person with respect, whether they are a third party contractor, a member of our team or a client coming through the door. That is still really important to us.”
He goes on: “In a family business you own every single day, you never put it down.”
Sue Howorth is a founder of the Family Business Community group based in Kendal, which counts a number of Lancashire companies amongst its 3,500-strong membership.
She points out that 85 per cent of all private businesses are family owned, including some of our biggest companies.
Sue says: “The impact these businesses make in their communities is huge.”
In 2020, family businesses across the whole of the UK generated £575bn in gross value added (GVA) contribution to GDP (gross domestic product) and employed 13.9 million people.
Despite that she believes they are often overlooked when it comes to matters of policy making by those in the corridors of power.
Sue believes one of the things that make family businesses different is the way they plan ahead, sometimes with generations that haven’t been born yet in mind.
And she points out that they are also flexible in their approach, as seen during the Covid pandemic, when many were able to quickly switch their operations to cope with the vastly different landscape they found themselves in.
“They are proven to have longevity, to be sustainable and very resilient,” she says, and adds: “When family businesses are making decisions, they are making them for everybody in the business, not just those people sitting round the boardroom table.”
Karen Morris Deputy CEO and development director:
HOW TO MAKE YOUR NEW WEBSITE FREE OF CHARGE
FAMILY BUSINESSES LEAD THE WAY IN CHARITABLE GIVING
Family businesses, many of which are long established within their community, are very often passionate about giving back.
Indeed, the 2021 survey of UK family businesses, conducted by PWC, found that the majority of UK family businesses continue to engage in some form of social responsibility activities, with 74 per cent of those surveyed contributing to the local community and 47 per cent participating in traditional philanthropy or grant-based giving.
We also see that family businesses may have a distinct advantage in delivering the ‘S’ strand of their Environmental, Social and Governance strategy, due to their being ‘the bedrock of communities across the UK’, as highlighted in the November 2020 report, ‘Family Business and Community Engagement’. The report explains that as many family businesses have passed through multiple generations, they have a ‘long-term commitment to a specific geographical place’ that helps to ‘build trust with communities and other stakeholders’.
It’s important for businesses to be able to quantify and demonstrate the positive impact they make, above and beyond their core business activities. The Community Foundation for Lancashire works with many family-run businesses who hold charitable giving at their heart, helping them develop what they are already doing, and ensuring they can evidence the impact they are making to their investors, suppliers, customers and potential and existing employees.
Wherever you are on your philanthropic journey, we can provide bespoke support. From the first crucial step of creating your family’s social strategy, to connecting you with grass roots community groups who are seeking funding, we make sure your charitable giving makes a real difference and gets to those who need it most.
To find out more about how we can help contact Karen Morris, Deputy CEO and Development Director:
karen.morris@
cflm.org.uk or call 07973 409858
Mark Adlestone with Beaverbrooks managing director Anna Blackburn LANCASHIREBUSINES SV
IEW.CO.UK
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