MERCHANT FOCUS: LAWSONS
business. With many of its branches located in urban environments close to residential communities, Lawsons is increasingly conscious of the need to be a ‘good neighbour’ and is doing all that it can to consider any concerns about noise and air quality that those who live near to its depots may have.
Lawsons were the first company in the UK to have an eco-friendly gas and electric powered crane lorry, developed in conjunction with Iveco and HIAB. Powered by compressed natural gas this custom-built 26 tonne truck delivers the same performance as the diesel equivalent but is far less polluting. Another welcome benefit is the electric powered crane - the lorry’s gas-powered engine stops when parked and the crane operates independently. This not only reduces air pollution but also delivers a significant reduction in noise, a very real benefit for deliveries in residential areas. Ian Rowe, Group Transport Manager, says: “With more people working from home, noise and air pollution are increasingly serious issues and we are trying to minimize the disruption caused by the delivery of materials”. The innovative project recently won an award from the Noise Abatement Society for organisations
As a business we feel everybody has something to offer, no one should fall through the cracks in society.”
which have developed proven noise reduction programmes.
Lawsons were also the first UK customer to invest in JCB’s electric powered Teletruks - they currently a fleet of Combilifts and Teletruks deployed across their branch network with more on order. The restrictions of Covid meant that Lawsons was unable to celebrate its centenary year and for a company that prides itself on its staff focus – annual Family Fun Days, Children’s Christmas Party and the “At Home Lunch” where the chairman invites staff from branches to join him for an informal lunch at his home – this was a real blow. Norris hopes that as the situation eases they will be able to celebrate this significant milestone with the staff. “We are ambitious for the future, we
will continue to invest and grow the business, but realise that this is only possible because of the staff we have today and we want to come together to celebrate this milestone in our history”. Rushent agrees, saying: “We need to celebrate the achievement and recognise how far the business has come but then it’s back to business, this is just another step in our journey”.
Lawsons remains committed to investing in the business, a necessity for continuous improvement and growth. Investment in the working environment, investment in training and investing in people, whether recruiting branch staff or through our graduate training and apprenticeship schemes. Norris adds: ”Some argue that we over-invest, but our returns speak for themselves. We rank in the top five most financially successful independent businesses of our type in the UK. We believe that we have achieved this by putting our people first, who in return put the company first. Simply put, they care about Lawsons and want it to succeed – that’s what happens when you put people first”. For details of current job vacancies at Lawsons please turn to page 33. BMJ
January 2022
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
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