Yorkshire Family Business Celebrates 90 Years
Apr 17
When Hervey Myers started his housebuilding business in 1929 he had no idea that 90 years later it would be reporting a turnover of £50m and would employ more than 350 people from across the region.
His journey was setting the foundations for one of Yorkshire’s leading independent family-owned businesses, which would see his great-grandchildren taking responsibility thanks to his legacy.
Fast-forward 90 years and Myers Group, which incorporates subsidiaries Myers Building Supplies, Myers Skip Hire, Johnsons Wellfield and Readymix Huddersfield, has become a recognisable name within the building and construction sector.
As a full-service supplier of quality products to housebuilders and renovators, Myers Group offers everything from skip hire, aggregates and Readymix concrete through to kitchens, bathrooms and timber.
Responsible for some of the most iconic constructions in the country including Emley Mast, sections of the M62 motorway and the National Maritime Museum, the organisation has secured its position as a leading provider within the construction market.
Growing up with the company and working whenever and wherever they could, James and Katie Berry learnt all they could about the business and were very aware of the challenges that they would need to embrace if they were to become the fourth generation to take the business forward.
Having graduated with a degree in engineering and business respectively, the brother and sister became Directors of the company in 2012 becoming equal shareholders.
James comments: “We have a very close family and are so proud to be celebrating 90 years of a business that has evolved over the generations. Myers Group has a history that dates back beyond the second world war and the one thing that still resonates is our values and commitment to delivering quality, not only in the products we produce but also in the way we interact and engage with our customers.
“We don’t believe our great-grandad really set out with plans to create a business that would transition from one generation to the next, but it has now become a legacy that we can build upon and pass on to our children.”
Reporting an increase in turnover of 10 per cent for the Myers Group last year, the business has a lot to celebrate as it continues to look at opportunities that will allow it to grow and incorporate new sales channels.
Katie comments: “The focus now is on growing the business with a great team around us that we can rely on and who will help us to become Yorkshire’s leading independent business, not necessarily in terms of sales but certainly in relation to quality, service and values.
“That is what we stand for and that is what has resonated throughout the history of the Myers Group. We attract ‘Myers people’; those that have ambition, determination and a desire to do the right thing for our customers and communities. That is what we believe sets us apart and differentiates us from others in the market.”
As customers’ buying behaviours have continued to change, the company is looking at new ways in which it can engage with them, whilst also attracting a new audience. It is working through plans to help the organisation adapt to meet the different needs of customers.
James concludes: “Construction has been a relatively stable sector as there has always been a need for building materials, but we do see the need to be agile and to adapt with the times. We may be a 90-year-old business, but we have a strong future ahead and we intend to retain that for the 350 people that rely on us. We also need to think about the next generation that will continue the journey and add a further chapter to the Myers family story.”
Myers Group, which is head quartered in Huddersfield, has 14 builders’ merchant branches and four Readymix concrete sites across Yorkshire, a skip service and Johnsons Wellfield quarries which manufactures high quality Yorkstone.
For further details about the Myers Group and its products, services and history, please visit: www.myersgroup.co.uk.
