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“My wife is my harshest critic, but for her to have faith in me when I’d left a fantastic job and risked everything that we’d worked for in order to start this business… well, I’m just really grateful for that.”


And what of your previous, senior-level positions do you bring to the company?


“My biggest asset is not my degrees or experience, but my work ethic. I always strive to work as hard as I can in a role – if the business was to fail, it won’t ever be for the lack of trying. Running your own business is flying by the seat of your pants, sometimes, but I’m not losing sleep anymore.”


Now that you have reached a point of relative calm, how has trading been over the past couple of years and where is it now?


“We’ve had a good three years – construction didn’t stop through COVID, so neither did we. The government has made a lot of cash available and there have been a lot of new projects requiring support. The extra money has enabled further investment in new equipment and it has created a market in which it’s needed.


“Current business is unbelievable – we took in over £1 million last year, making a profit of circa 25%. Total turnover since we started is just shy of £6 million. That’s not bad for a family company of ten from Stockton. Ask me if I regret it…”


Well, are you happy in your work? “Absolutely!”


You can’t ask for much more than that. Moving on, how does the company specialise?


“We’re highly invested in civil engineering and utility companies – I’d say that’s 80% of our business. We got into toilet hire in January ‘21. They looked at me liked I’d stepped off the moon when I suggested that, but we have 150 in the fleet now and only six are available today.


“Apart from that, I have 41 mini diggers, eight 1 tonne Thwaites dumpers, Obart pumps, Hilti and JCB power tools, heating and lighting for the housebuilders, and 200 Stihl saws – we always get over 90% uitlisation on those.”


I notice that you have a preference for the well-known hire brands…


“I like what you get with the major brands. Personally, I’m a big fan of the Boss clothing label. Coincidentally, we also have a lot of BoSS scaffold towers. If all of those came back today, we wouldn’t have enough room for them.”


Do you get much demand for battery equipment?


“If battery products were all they were cracked up to be, I’d stock more of them. There’s not much demand from customers, and where do you even begin with the


Toilet Hire is a relatively recent addition to the business.


When you put it like that, it is. So how about your reach?


“We’re currently go as far south as Ockley, near Brighton, and as far north as Edinburgh. We also have a lot of kit in Bridlington and Hull, and around the Leeds-Bradford area. This depot is very much the hub.”


Lastly, having now achieved your original five-year business plan, what are you thinking for the next five?


“I think we’ll have more locations. There may well be some concessions coming up too – we’ve been speaking with a builders’ merchant since before COVID. Most of all, I just want to keep this as a family company, with all the service and attention we can provide. I don’t miss the corporate world at all!”. n


Halt Hire - Profile


insurance? I could get a £580 battery nicked but the petrol tool only costs £535 – it’s mad, but stolen batteries are a real problem for us.”


Halt Hire has a large fleet of scaffold towers.


Halt Hire buys lighting and other kit from Hire Supply Co.


Space is used wisely in the warehouse.


June 2022 - Executive Hire News 15


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