Washington and Riley to celebrate launch of new trade counter
A new trade counter – opening on November 1 – is the latest innovation from building, ironmongery and fire door company Washington and Riley.
Establishing a trade counter is part of further growth plans for the company which moved from the Potteries to Market Drayton in 2020.
The company has gone from strength-to-strength following a management buy-out in 2016 – expanding from an initial team of four to 23 staff.
Free breakfast baps will be on offer for the first 200 visitors to the trade counter at the firm's Market Drayton headquarters on November 1.
Managing director Martin Hammond Snr said: “The trade counter will serve both people in the building trades and home owners – there’s nothing like it for miles around and the demand is out there.”
Washington and Riley relocated after outgrowing its previous site, in Burslem town centre.
“We’ve expanded the business in recent times and created new jobs, but relocation has given us room for further growth. Buying our own premises led to investment in new state-of-the-art CNC machinery.”
The trade counter will feature architectural ironmongery, fixings, internal doors, timber mouldings and other fittings.
Moving from Burslem was significant for the company which can trace its history in the town as far back as 1935.
“We were looking for new premises, initially in the Potteries, but this site on the Maer Lane Industrial Estate, Market Drayton, was ideal for our purposes. It’s a large site with space for our expansion plans and offers us the opportunity to build a new trade counter.”
A large room has been created at the front of the building on Llewellyn Roberts Way. It has a trade counter, where customers can buy goods, displays of the Washington and Riley product range and a seating area where staff can meet visitors.
Washington and Riley is owned by Martin Hammond Snr, his son Martin Hammond Junior, Anthony Hammond and Jason Thompson. Former employees, they bought the business in 2016 and set about reviving its fortunes. The trio, who have around 100 years of trade experience between them, have grown sales, turnover and staff year-on-year.
Expansion has led to contracts across the UK, including work manufacturing and supplying fire doors to NHS hospitals which continued apace during the recent Covid-19 lockdowns.
Washington and Riley director, Jason Thompson, said: “When the coronavirus pandemic hit, we were still very new to Market Drayton and we are perhaps one of the town’s best kept secrets. Hardly anyone knows we are here. But the lifting of lockdown means we can establish a local trade to complement our national contracts.
“We’ve researched the market and there’s space for a company with a trade counter producing high quality architectural ironmongery and fixings. Joinery work and internal doors, for the building trade and domestic customers. We are confident that we can fill that gap in the market and provide new jobs in Market Drayton.
“We’re hoping to welcome trades people, but also local business owners and residents to our trade counter launch.
“We’re distributing thousands of leaflets and planning to create a real buzz around the event.”
