Feature from Peterborough Today - www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk
Business feature - Published: 26 May 2009 - By John Kralevich, Business editor

WHEN the chairman of the company told me that in the first four months of 2009 trading was better than anticipated, I was curious to find out what measures, if any, had been taken to ride out the economic storm.

When that person was Alan Symonds, I knew we were referring to the company of the same name, which was established 30 years ago and had also traded, successfully, in previous recessions.

"Our value for money products have served us well in difficult times, it helps our type of business," he said. The company supplies quality soft furnishings throughout the UK and Europe to the retail trade.

Alan Symonds is a "good, well-managed company.

"We have fur on our back from the good times, and there has been some staff wastage," said Alan.

"At the back end of 2008 we put in place a contingency plan to safeguard the future of the business.

"We feel that this year, in view of the turmoil in the economy, we have created a situation whereby we can withstand a 15 per cent to 20 per cent drop in trading, and as such survive 2009 and 2010. As a result, we should be able to go forward in 2011. I am confident of being here in 2011."

The strength of the company today – employing eight full-time staff and eight or nine freelance sales agents – stems from a key shift in policy made six or seven years ago.

At the time, Alan's son, Ian, now managing director, transformed the company by moving it into the ready-made curtain market.

The key was value for money – "designer goods at affordable prices".

Take a snapshot of the company seven or eight years ago and you would find that up to 90 per cent of its business was piece goods, fabrics sold by the metre. In 2009, it's the complete opposite, with 90 per cent as ready made curtains, tie backs and cushions, all in packs with the company's own branding.

Customers include Linens Direct, which has some 30 outlets, and The Co-op in Peterborough, as well as several "owner-driver", people, such as Downtown, who own their businesses.

It's a far cry from 1979 when, as a freelance sales agent, Alan Symonds bought FW Mann, in St Mark's Street, Peterborough. Alan turned it into a cash and carry-style warehouse – which he fondly recalled as a "rickety old building" – and also started a lace curtain warehouse.

He found lace curtains both exciting and profitable so, after three years, closed down the cash and carry.

He outgrew St Mark's Street and, in 1989, after selling it as a prime development site, was able to invest in new premises in Empson Road, Eastern Industry. Two purpose-built warehouses there were used to maximise the company's expansion.

At about this time, the Berlin Wall came down, an act which was to impact negatively on Alan's business. For many years, a lot of his goods were sourced, at very competitive prices, behind the Iron Curtain. The fall of the wall meant prices would become prohibitive, and he would have to find different areas to buy merchandise.

In 1990, he went to the Far East where he found, in Indonesia, "probably the best supplier ever in the lace business," and it's a mill with which he still does business today.

The Indonesian lace is described as good, solid, regular merchandise.

At Empson Road, the business needed a third unit within three years. At that time, it was 100 per cent lace curtains.

But Mr Symonds foresaw a big change in people's buying habits, necessitating the shift to ready-made goods. The company changed to lace panels mainly in voiles.

Another watershed – "a stroke of luck" perhaps – was the proliferation of makeover programmes on TV in the late '90s. It led the company to produce lace panels in ready-made form.

Ian Symonds, now 36, joined the company as a 19-year-old – his ambition to be a golf professional sidelined. His role in Alan Symonds evolved, and he began to make a strong impression on the design side. He developed good designs in lace and voile, and expanded into heavy drapes.

Seven years ago, he suggested that a bigger warehouse was needed.

Alan found the existing Orton Southgate site and ploughed his pension funds into building the new warehouse five years ago. It covers an area of 30,000sq ft, is 9m high, and is fully mechanised, automated and computerised.

A key feature is the showroom, which is used to display goods in situ for prospective customers.

One of the central planks to the company's enduring success, though not without its ups and downs, is the "happy and loyal", and long-serving staff. In addition to Ian, these include finance director Ian Warby, IT manager Mark Gooch, office manager Alison Sheppard and office/sales executive Claire Robbins.

The three warehousemen are John Bratby, Chris White and James Honour.

For more information, contact Alan Symonds, Westminster House, Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate, Peterborough.Call 01733 236450.

Alan and Ian Symonds with staff at their Orton Southgate-based soft furnishings warehouse.
Picture: ALAN STORER