Member Article

Expansion plans open doors for hardware business

ARCHITECTURAL hardware specialists, Washington & Riley is looking to the future - as it plans to expand its workforce and purchase a second, larger store and showroom in Staffordshire.

The Stoke-on-Trent company has been in business since 1935 and was acquired by new owners in May 2016. Co-owners Jason Thompson, and father-and-son Martin Hammond Snr and Martin Hammond Jnr, have strong ties to the business, as all three worked under the previous owners.

Since taking over, the new management team has tripled the workforce, created a new showroom at the Burslem store, and expanded the company’s product range to include the supply and installation of doors, in addition to door hardware and accessories.

Washington & Riley now employs 10 people, including joinery apprentice Jamie Latham from Stoke-on-Trent College, with plans to create a further four jobs over the next few months, including two joiners, an administration apprentice, and a sales rep.

“…it was a natural progression to expand our product range to doors, as well as architectural hardware.”

“It’s has taken hard work and investment, but the business has grown quickly since we acquired Washington & Riley,” said sales director Jason Thompson. “It’s long-standing reputation in Stoke-on-Trent has given us a strong platform to take the business forward and grow both the product range and customer base.

“With our expertise in the industry, we felt it was a natural progression to expand our product range to doors, as well as architectural hardware. There is a demand for quality doors, both in the domestic market and commercial, which is why we need to increase the workforce to cope with the upsurge in business.”

The Stoke-on-Trent business has also extended its reach, and now supplies, installs and maintains fire doors and access control doors to various commercial sectors across the UK. Washington & Riley were the first company in the country to gain certification as a BlueSky installer of fire doors.

The new showroom, located at the original store in William Clowes street, Burslem, is open to both DIY enthusiasts and the building trade. Jason and his partners plan to expand the Burslem store and are also looking for a suitable location for the company’s second larger store and showroom.

For more information, visit www.washingtonandriley.ltd.uk/

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