MERCHANT FOCUS: BEESLEY AND FILDES TALKING ABOUT MY
A 200 year old family independent merchants in Liverpool is mixing up the generations as it eyes its future direction.
I
n every family business, taking on the responsibility of what generations have built before you is both a gift and a responsibility.
For James Beesley, the 33-year old 7th generation stepping into 200-year-old builder’s merchant business, Beesley and Fildes, as the company’s new commercial director, the risk and uncertainty of setting up the business was done and dusted generations ago. But the responsibility for taking forward that legacy is substantial: a company with 11 branches, an active online sales channel and a team of more than 150, the Beesley and Fildes that customers see today bears little resemblance to the single shop in Prescott, Merseyside, where it all began. Under the stewardship of James’ father, John Beesley, and a team of professionals that have worked for the company for decades, Beesley & Fildes has been transformed over the past 40 years to become one of the most formidable independent family-owned builder’s merchants businesses in the UK. “It’s quite an act to follow” Beesley says. “Although the business has been part of my life since the day I was born, I’m currently in the process of immersing myself in the company to ensure I understand it inside out. That not only involves getting under the skin of our operations, but also getting to know our customers, why they choose us and how we can support them with the day to day challenges of running their own companies and delivering projects.
“My dad and the team have done so much to build Beesley & Fildes into the company it is today, and have created huge potential for us to expand and build on our reputation. My first priority is to look at how my skillset can add to that heritage and ensure we have
20 GENERATION
the systems, culture and strategy in place to maximise opportunity and prepare to scale-up, without losing the independent family business culture that’s such a key reason we have an enviably loyal customer base.” Although Beesley grew up surrounded by the family business, he has not only been away from the builder’s merchant sector for the past decade; he’s also been out of the country - first in the USA, then in Portugal and Spain, latterly as Southern Europe golf director of one of the world’s foremost golf resort brands. “There may seem to be a world of difference between the most aspirational golf resorts on the planet and a builder’s merchant in the north west of England,”
says Beesley, “but there’s actually a lot more synergy than you might think! Ultimately, both environments are all about making sure the customer gets what they want and has a positive experience. My background is in making sure that there’s a consistently positive, service-oriented customer experience at every touchpoint, which encourages the customer not only to return, but to recommend.”
This all means, Beesley says, that he has a great deal of relevant experience to continue building on his forebears’ legacy. His first degree at Liverpool University was in business, he owns a company that specialises in mystery shopping and staff training, and he’s previously worked in the marketing department at Beesley & Fildes. “My career to date has been focused in three areas,” he says, “marketing, personnel development and customer service. What that means for my role at Beesley & Fildes is that I am focused on understanding the customer and their needs, as well as being committed to ensuring we offer the best, most customer- oriented response to delivering on those requirements.
“To do all that, we need a knowledgeable and motivated team, a customer-centric approach to service via any channel, and a willingness to adapt as the market evolves. All of those elements are already in place
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net January 2022
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