Passmores – a family legacy
Passmores was founded in 1909 by Albert Passmore who started the Poultry Farmers Supply Co, out of railway arch premises in Strood High Street Our timber buildings business began with the selling of hand-crafted timber poultry houses. Battery farming eventually reduced the need for poultry houses, but by then we had established ourselves as a leading manufacturer of timber structures, and the spread of suburban homes gave rise to an interesting opportunity. Thus, we transitioned into meeting the ever-increasing demand for sheds, which could be used as storage, as well as a garden retreat.
In the 1950’s and 60’s demand for stables, garages and cricket pavilions began to take off. Many of the designs we still use to this day can be traced back to that era. Over the years, our products have been refined and improved, and we now offer a comprehensive range of Garages, oak fronted Carriage Houses, Garden Buildings, Stabling and timber Sports Pavilions, all of which are manufactured to exacting standards.
In 2000 we embarked on a planned expansion programme and acquired new freehold factory premises in Strood, where our fleet of modern, low-emission vehicles are also based. The old shop on the High Street has been converted into our office and showground village, while the manufacturing takes place at our factory.
Challenges the market is facing
The Coronavirus pandemic has been difficult for most businesses across the country, ours included. The start of the pandemic saw a complete halt in business and production, and we lost a lot of momentum that was hard to build back up. With the economic consequences of the pandemic, costs on production and sourcing materials grew as well. The majority of our timber comes from the sustainable forests in Northern Sweden, where prices of the raw material rose rapidly due to higher demand, however the quality and sourcing of our premium timber is not something we are willing to compromise on. Finding ways to optimise our costs and finances during an economically tumultuous time in the midst of a pandemic was challenging, to say the least.
Opportunities the business is facing
On the flip side of this, the Coronavirus pandemic has helped boost sales and has presented opportunities that we were incredibly grateful for, especially as the pandemic has been so trying for many businesses. With people staying at home more, and not spending money on overseas travel we have seen higher demand for outbuildings than pre-pandemic.
Our sheds and timber garden buildings were the perfect solution for many families in quarantine across the country. A well-crafted garden shed can be used for more than just storage, and we have seen happy Passmores customers get creative with their purchases. People have turned their sheds into an outdoor bar, a games room, a children’s den, an office space, or even a home gym. Our timber garden buildings created an opportunity for people to make more space in their homes during the peak of the pandemic and across lockdowns.
As our wood is sourced ethically from sustainable forests, the environmental and sustainability ethos in our business is strong. Passmores has always been environmentally aware, Wood is the cornerstone of all Passmores products, and it is important that this be sourced, with the environment at the forefront of our minds. This is also a great selling point because consumers are certainly more environmentally conscious these days.
Advice to others about business
“Listen to your customers, keep a close eye on what the competition are up to, reward your staff for their hard work, never stop looking for areas where you can grow the business, invest in technology”.
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