When we caught up with Adrian Shelley, Managing Director of Henshaws Roofing & Building Supplies, last year, the company was celebrating its 40th anniversary — a milestone that emphasised its longevity and resilience. Now 12 months on, the independently owned merchant is continuing to go from strength-to-strength with the addition of a third branch in Denton, further bolstering its presence across Greater Manchester.
“The opening of the third site is a major step forward for us,” explains Mr Shelley. “Adding to our depots in Rochdale and Trafford Park, we now have even better coverage across the whole of Manchester with easy access to the M60.”
While the Denton depot highlights Henshaws’ forward progression, getting to this point took nearly a year due to planning and change of site use issues. Once these had been overcome, the rest of the development process was much more straightforward, as the company has used the same template that has proven so successful at its existing depots. “We know what works, so we’ve just transferred the existing model across to Denton,” outlines Mr Shelley. “We’ve also been fortunate from a staffing perspective, as the move has given us the opportunity to progress the careers of several employees making their way up the business. One of our more experienced managers is running the new site, having taken a couple of other members of staff with him. This has allowed us to promote from within to fill the newly vacated manager’s position at our other depot, as well as for two assistant managers.
“We’ve shuffled the deck, utilising our existing staff to fill the positions as required. This is always preferable, as we strive to reward hard work and instil loyalty within the team. This has allowed us build on the experience and knowledge we have within the business, as our people are all well versed in the Henshaws ethos and our way of working.”
As a company that has also worked hard to develop its supply chain, Henshaws is excited about taking its suppliers along the journey too, as it writes the next chapter in its already impressive history. “We worked closely with our suppliers on various deals to get off to the best possible start at Denton,” adds Mr Shelley, “We provide an established product offering, but we are always exploring new opportunities when we can. We moved more into specialist flat roofing last year, while we have also enhanced our specialist timber offering, which has gone extremely well. Other than that, it’s more of the same, although we continue to listen to our customers and keep our ear to the ground regarding new innovations within the marketplace.”
At a time when there’s a high degree of uncertainty within the wider economy, not to mention the challenges stemming from the global political situation, Henshaws’ decision to open a new branch might feel brave but as a company with over 40 years of operation under its belt, it has always taken the long-term view.
“It’s definitely tough out there and some of our customers are finding work harder to come by as the general population reins its spending in a bit,” says Mr Shelley. “However, we’re familiar with the peaks and troughs of the business world, while the third depot is giving us a new sector to focus on. As a small independent we remain agile enough to react to an ever-changing marketplace.”
With significant experience at its disposal and a robustness forged over four decades, Henshaws is also continuing to feel the benefit of being a member of the National Buying Group. “Joining the NBG has probably been one of the best decisions we’ve made in recent years. Their hard work has led to many positives for us. It’s a relationship that is continuing to build and help us progress, particularly with the Denton site. The aim now is to fully bed the new depot into our operation and support our staff to ensure it fulfils its potential.
“Of course, there are always going to be factors outside of our control but we’re concentrating on doing our own job to the best of our ability, while building ever-stronger relationships with our customers and suppliers.”
By focusing its attention on its corner of the North-West, Henshaws is well placed to continue its development, particularly with the new depot in Denton providing a new seam of business to mine.