_______________________________________________________________________________________________ Blackrow Group
shop floor and sitting here today as one of the owners .
“ I keep working as normal , as it was before the buyout that is , and I ’ m waiting for it all to sink in ,” he continues . “ It ’ s not just me that ’ s grown with the company though ; many of our staff started as apprentices and are now in leading roles . We currently have around 30 apprentices in the business and a high portion of our staff live in the local area .”
The personal story behind Blackrow ’ s MBO is truly inspirational . From our conversation , it is clear to see that the company ’ s working relationships , whether with suppliers , customers , or internally , will continue to flourish under its new leadership .
“ We ’ re passionate about growing the brand ; we want to maintain our positive reputation and continue to grow in our existing industries , but also invest in new markets as the opportunities arise ,” Gary proposes . “ Over the last two years , we ’ ve grown from a turnover of £ 26 million , to one of £ 50 million . While it ’ s not sustainable to see that kind of growth year-on-year , we ’ re consolidating our strategy for how to continuously grow the brand .
“ Further afield , I ’ d like to see the MBO process happen again in 15-to-20 years ’ time . We want to be able to give people just like us , working on the shop floor , the opportunity to become an owner . It ’ s an unexplainable feeling of excitement , nerves , and gratitude all rolled into one , and it would be amazing to pass that on to someone else .” ■
www . blackrow . co . uk
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