Member Article

Warwickshire bespoke furniture manufacturer to expand to meet growing demand

One of the UK’s most highly regarded bespoke furniture manufacturers based in Warwickshire is planning to expand its premises to meet a growing demand for its services.

NEJ Stevenson was founded in 1984 when Neil Stevenson borrowed £1,000 from his dad, Alan, to buy machinery and he set to work in his dad’s garage.

His dad’s faith and Neil’s skills and determination led to the creation of a business which designs, manufactures and installs custom-made luxury furniture and architectural interiors from its base at Church Lawford Business Centre in Limestone Hall Lane, Church Lawford, Rugby.

The 40-strong company which counts the Royal Household, English Heritage and National Trust among its impressive list of high-profile clients has been helped since 2015 by the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub through a combination of accessing finance, planning and skills.

Plans have been approved for a single-storey extension with a roof terrace at the front of NEJ Stevenson’s site to create a new reception area and a new meeting room.

Neil said: “I started off making one-off pieces of furniture for local private clients and through working with architects and interior designers, we began to obtain bigger orders and moved into residential projects which were more complex.

“In 1996, we received a telephone call from someone working at Windsor Castle - which was unexpected - and our first job for the Royal Household was to create Gothic oak screens in the Masters Gallery. That led to more work ahead of receiving the Royal Warrant in 2003, which we have had ever since.

“We were proud to have designed the Coronation chairs which were used to seat members of the Royal family as well as dignitaries at Westminster Abbey in May.

“In 2012, we were asked to design and produce a whisky box for Johnnie Walker to raise money as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. That led to orders from other whisky companies and around £1 million of our income each year comes from producing whisky boxes.

“We moved here in 1999 and we built one extension to accommodate more CNC machinery and that is when we first had dealings with the Growth Hub.

“We discovered we were eligible for a 50 per cent match-funded grant and it wasn’t difficult to fill in the forms because those involved were helpful and made it as easy as possible.

“We also received funding through the Coventry and Warwickshire Green Programme for solar panels, air source heat pumps and changing our lights to LED when we extended the factory. It’s fair to say the Growth Hub has been a massive source of help since 2015.”

Craig Humphrey, CEO at CW Growth Hub which celebrates its tenth anniversary next year, said he was delighted the business support organisation had been able to play its part in helping NEJ Stevenson achieve its growth plans.

He said: “There are a wide range of businesses in different sectors throughout Coventry and Warwickshire who have the ambition and capacity to grow and we are here to help them put their plans into action.

“NEJ Stevenson is a perfect illustration of that because the grants over the years have ensured they have accelerated their ability to expand and broken down any barriers.

“The ecosystem should be set up to target businesses that have growth potential and provide any support that is needed, and that is why the Growth Hub is so vital.”

Adam Plumb, Account Manager at the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub who covers Rugby, said the demand for NEJ Stevenson’s work was on-going.

“It is fantastic that three more employees have recently joined the team to work on their projects which are all really interesting and highly-skilled,” he said.

“The plans to expand their premises will create a new-look reception and meeting room and we wish the team all the best in continuing their commitment to excellence and innovation.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .