Joinery boss carves out fresh niche at old firm

A BUSINESSMAN is aiming to return the specialist joinery firm founded by his father to its former glory after buying it out of administration.

Newcastle-based Winston Joinery was set up by Andrew Wagg's father in 1978, with Andrew himself eventually becoming owner and managing director.

He sold the business in 2003, but when it fell into administration in December, he decided to return with a new team of directors and investors, saving 25 jobs, many of them highly-skilled.

Mr Wagg, who is also a director at Silverdale-based asbestos management consultancy Environmental Essentials, said: "I was involved in the business from a very early age in the early 1980s.

"After it was sold in 2003 it had its ups and downs – I think it grew quite rapidly and then declined as the economic climate bit in.

"I was approached just before Christmas and told that 20 to 30 jobs were going to go.

"My father started the business so it's nice to be able to come back in and get it up and running again, and of course I knew all the people here who were going to lose their jobs."

The company has now relocated from Longton to a new design, manufacturing and office base at Parkhouse Industrial Estate West, which Mr Wagg said will be more suitable for its needs.

He said: "It's more cost-effective and we should be able to get more product out of the factory too."

Winston's clients include Taylor Woodrow and Balfour Beatty, and its craftsmen have also carried out projects at international sports venues The Oval and The Belfry.

Mr Wagg added: "On the shop floor we do a lot of heritage work for conservation projects, where we have to make things to match the existing joinery."

He and his fellow directors have decided to split the firm into two divisions – Winston Joinery for the manufacturing side and WJL Contracts, which will design, schedule and manage all the firm's contracts.

Jamie Lovatt, director at WJL, said: "The formation of the two companies is aimed at enhancing competitiveness and creating higher efficiencies within both divisions while maintaining quality levels."

Mr Wagg added: "What we are trying to do is return the business to its former glory. At one point it was turning over £6 million and employing 70 people, so ultimately we're trying to get back to that.

"It's scaled down at the moment, but we've just taken someone on to help with sales and marketing.

"We're also contacting all the people we've dealt with in the last 10 to 15 years, reassuring them that's although it's technically a new company we're going to be doing pretty much the same as we always have done."

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