LAWSONS – 100 YEARS OF PUTTING ITS PEOPLE FIRST

Since the opening of the first Lawson & Son Timber Merchant in Whetstone, London in 1921, Lawsons has grown into one of the South’s largest independent timber, building and fencing merchants, with a network of 31 branches stretching from Peterborough to the South Coast.

In its centenary year, Joint MDs Paul Rushent and Jeremy Norris are leading a period of rapid growth, both organic and acquisitive, but their focus is still on the company’s people because it is the staff who are the driving force behind every good business.

John Lawson and his son Simon, the current Chairman are respectively the third and fourth generation of the family to head the Lawsons business, positioning the company with a focus not only on its customers but also on its employees and the wider community to create long term, sustainable and profitable growth. The group currently operates 31 branches, 17 operating as mixed merchants under the Lawsons brand with a further 14 specialist timber and fencing branches mainly under the AVS Fencing and Landscaping brand.

Joint MDs Paul Rushent and Jeremy Norris ensure that the company strapline “Family Values – Professional Service” is embedded consistently throughout this fast-growing business. Jeremy “that means action, not just words. We created a family values document which set out our beliefs; job security and honest communication to create a positive working environment, empowerment in roles and in ideas allowing staff to speak out, building a sector-leading pay and benefits package, committing to a huge investment in training and development – and we then delivered against it. We are sincere when we say that we put people before profit”.

Lawsons are also equally committed to social responsibility and their work in the community. Each branch has a fund to support local charities in their area, and Lawsons also work at a group level on social and environmental issues. Paul talks about how the sense of family has created a supportive ethic throughout the business. “We respect and appreciate our staff and we trust them to help others. This has enabled us to support the Bounceback Program employing ex-offenders as well as working with YMCA Downslink to offer a pathway to training and employment for young adults at risk of being homeless. As a business, we feel everybody has something to offer no one should fall through the cracks in society”.

As part of its societal vision, Lawsons are aware of their environmental impact and the need to work hard to be a responsible 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, notes “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 that 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 Combilift’s 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. Jeremy 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”. Paul agrees that “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. Jeremy finishes by saying that “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 Lawson’s see the page opposite.