the big


Gift tomark amilestone Harts of Stur welcomes a special guest


the Harts of Stur store in Dorset to O L-R: Philip Hart with Simon Price, owner of housewares supplier Arthur Price How it allll began… grandfa


1919: At the age of 17my Walter Hart, n


1919 father Wa oyal Field Artillery y t, a


apprentice blacksmith, joined the Roy


ry as a fa r.


1919, he was demobilised from the army, and established his own blacksmith business in Sturminster Newton, just a brief canter away fromwhere we are today. 1941


fr y. 1941: Asmy grandfather’s fa


reputation and the business grew,w, e) joined the fa


his son Bill (m fa


1949: The business outgrew its small workshop, and new premises were constructed on the fringes of a town called Butts Pond - and we still call this y. Two blacksmith shops and forgforges 0)


1945 1949


fr


shoeing tools used bymy 1950s


dad all those years ago. 1950s: Around the time of the new fo never that fo agricultural ironmongery forges, a


decision wasmade to branch out. As Dad was fond of horses, he started retailing ry andmanufa


September/October 2019 facturing basic


(costing the princelyly sumof £800) were erected. Sadlyly neither stands today,y, but you can still see on display in our store one of the original anvils and grandfa


home to this day. (c


father, r, uncle and (my uncle) familyly business helping his father


to shoe horses,mend cart wheels Harts of Stur founder Walter Hart and do other general repair work.


1945:Walter's second son Eddie (my dad) his National Service in the RAF and joined the burgeoning fa


(m familyly firm. d) finished about transfo


farrier. In fr


Philip Hart shares a potted history of Harts of Stur farmimplements.


fa


1973 By this time, with fa in decline, themanufa


1973: By ry fact


uring side of farrier work


the business had taken off brand new fa


community maj


fr ff and a factory was built to


support this success. Harts was well regarded through the UK fa ty and exhibite ty shows. Da ajormanufa


d at all the farming


ajor county created amaj uy fa


cturing d had


business, and chose to refuse off fromleading national companies to buy himout. He saw the greater value familyly business


fu


1979: I joined the business and set forming the retail shop froman


in seeing the fa continue. 1979


fr


agricultural supplies store into amodern, country department store. The local hardware shop had burned down and closed,d, so this was the launchpad for the retail armof the business. The old forg buildings were demolished, and a purp shop and offices were erected.


ry fo ex


1994: Harts took its first tentative steps into mail order.


1995: Some earlyly success gave us the


1984 1994 1995


encouragement we needed, and our first trading website was launched in 1995. It was one of the first operational and trading sites anywhere in the country


fe • HousewaresLive.net Houseware resLive.net twitter • m/ /H r. forge rpose-built


1984:With the business growing, the store was extended in 1984 and again in 1991.


ffe fers


: Continued growth saw yet another expansion of the retail premises in Sturminster Newton. 2006: The online side of the business had proved successful but it was driving forward without a proper direction for a while - untilmy sons Johnathan and Grahamleft university familyly firm. They e,


2003 2006


Dailyly Te 2003


fo fo ft the fa


The right staff the customer ex company’s onlin


some quick less withmuch hard


has grown very ty and joined


generational drive, rapidlyly pushing forward with the e presence,


ey were to provide the next fo


e, as well as improving perience in-store.


ff and ingredients were in place, and work and perseverance (a ons learned)


(as well as ry rapidlyly, y becoming a well-respected,


d), the internet business d,


2010-2013: Our purpose built 60,000sq ft dispatch centre was completed in 2010 and a new suite of sales offices fo


national award-winning enterprise. 2010-2013


followed in 2013: both purp


2013-present:We have continued to grow as a business to become a leading independent retailer,


have enjoyed for somany years. 2013-present We


fo


national awards. and a new,


launched in 2018. With the fo


ry (we had a feature written about us in ‘The r.com/Houseware rpose-built to


give ourmail order customers the same level of service and efficiency njoy


cy that our store customers r, recognised with a number of local and


Our online presence has increased significantlyly w, innovative andmodern website was


fourth generation of Harts now at the helm, Grahamhas three daughters, while


Johnathan has a son, so the next generation is all lined up!


twitter.com/Housewaresnewsresnews housewareslivlive.net | 41 Telegraph’ at the time) e).


congratulate Philip Hart on his retirement as managing director of the retailer (his official last day was July 10).


Presenting Philip with a salver especially engraved for the occasion, Simon reflected on the successful business relationship and friendship that has developed between the two family-owned firms.


Harts of Stur said the connection is “one that has endured, and will continue to thrive, as the baton of both companies is passed on to the next familial generation.”


n July 5 Simon Price, owner of cutlery and silverware supplier Arthur Price, paid a surprise visit to


the big interview


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