Pickerings Go From Strength to Strength

Still expanding after 170 years

In its 170th year, Pickerings Lifts celebrated in early January the opening of its 15th regional office in St. Ives, Cambridgeshire, which is headed by previous North London Regional Manager Julie Greyling. In discussing the company’s continued growth, Managing Director Paul Brooks (PB) took time to answer a series of questions from your author (CW) at the company’s head office in Stockton-on-Tees.

CW: Could you briefly explain what Pickerings does?

PB: Pickerings as a brand are well known throughout the lift industry for providing a reliable and responsive independent lift repair and maintenance service throughout the whole of the U.K. We are seen as the trusted partner of many of the instantly recognisable national retail brands, and we have added a various range of services to meet those customers’ needs. 

Over the last 10 years, we have widened our service offerings to include:

• A dedicated Lift Modernisation and New Lift Installation Department
• An Escalator Department
• A Mobility Department
• A Loading Systems Department, which covers the back-of house installation, repair and maintenance of our clients operationally critical assets across their U.K. portfolio of sites, including national distribution centres and retail stores.

This organic growth has taken us to £50 million turnover for 2023, and we expect to see significant growth in the years that follow, particularly from our Loading Systems team.

CW: What sets Pickerings apart within the lift industry?

PB: We are often told by our customers that our open and honest communications are what sets us apart from other similar organisations. We deliver high levels of courtesy and customer service: If someone calls a member of the Pickerings team, we call them straight back. 

We operate across many sectors including high street retail, supermarkets, hospitality, healthcare, distribution and transportation hubs, and we completely understand how critical our customers’ assets are to their operational needs. By ensuring a fast response with concise and clear communication to our customers’ needs, it results in us getting the job done for them time and time again.

Customers can easily navigate our flat and transparent management structure, meaning they can call myself, our Service Director Gary Rains, any of our 15 regional offices or our dedicated Customer Communications team. 

CW: Can you pick out some highlights from the last 170 years?

PB: I can do better than that; I can show you our history. In our reception area, you can see our significant milestones on the walls. We are hugely proud of our heritage — from our founder Jonathan Pickering exhibiting at the Centennial International Exhibition, the 1876 first official World’s Trade Fair, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., where he won two medals. (Exhibiting alongside him were Alexander Graham Bell and his invention of the telephone and Eliphalet Remington, the inventor of the typewriter.) — to our sixth generation of family ownership.

CW: We often hear, “People make the organisation.” How do you empower your staff?

PB: As I mentioned above, we have a relatively flat organisational structure resulting in staff feeling empowered rather than adhering to a cumbersome chain of command. Throughout our 15 regional offices, staff are encouraged to run each office autonomously with self-direction, utilising their creative talents to solve problems by collaboration.

Our regional managers manage multi-million-pound business areas. They have the complete responsibility and ownership of their own office and have the power to make business decisions at any level, whilst delivering a first-class service to the client.

CW: What was your most unexpected lesson in leading for growth?

PB: Since 2020, the world has experienced macroeconomic variations that have tested some of the world’s most recognisable brands, to the point that they no longer exist. To survive, it has been necessary for businesses to become more focused, resilient and sustainable.  

By asking ourselves “How can we be better at what we do?” with our existing customers, it has delivered mutually beneficial growth.

Whilst new customers move to us each year, the backbone of all that we do is built on the longevity of our relationships with our existing clients.

If you look after your clients well and deliver a better service, whilst building trust and respect, they then reciprocate by placing orders and staying with you, hopefully into perpetuity. Stick with who you know, who you trust and who delivers and nurtures long-term sustainable relationships.

CW: In a company as old as Pickerings, have you faced any resistance to change?

PB: Every organisation faces resistance to change. There are some people who just don’t like change. The adage of “this is the way we have always done it” will result in us not moving forward. Over the years, we have had to make several significant changes. Apprising team members of what we are trying to achieve, helping them to see the bigger picture and the benefits that the changes will bring to the organisation will bring them on board. 

Leaving them in the dark and retrospectively telling them that something has been done will invariably cause a problem; keeping the communication honest and clear always helps.

CW: What are you most excited about?

PB: Our “people” is what excites me the most. With some of the best talent in the industry today, we continue to concentrate on the development of our team members and offer defined career progression paths. By promoting our talent and setting a clear succession plan, we are ensuring the future success of the business. Undoubtedly with our continued growth, it is certainly an exciting time to be part of the Pickerings community.

CW: When it comes to your customers, your mission is to exceed their expectations across the board. What does this look like in reality?

PB: I know I’ve mentioned this earlier, but for me communication is the key element. Once you have communicated, then it is about executing the customer’s requirements.

We want to be the “go to” specialist in the sectors we already supply our services to, whether it is a lift, escalator, travelator, mobility equipment or loading systems. We know each moment any of these assets are out of action has a huge effect on our customers’ operations, and we need to act quickly.

CW: What are your plans to meet net-zero emissions targets?

PB: Throughout all our service offerings, we utilise energy-saving technology on lifts, escalators, loading systems and mobility solutions. 

With regard to our fleet of vehicles, we already have a high percentage of hybrid and electric non-service vehicles, and our service fleet renewal strategy is to increase the electric vehicle fleet by 10% each time we purchase new.

Seven of our regional offices are in more modern energy-efficient buildings, and we will continue to monitor our other locations.

As our network of offices grows, we added a South Wales office in 2023 and an East Anglia office in January 2024. We are closer to our customers’ premises and, therefore, cutting down on total miles travelled. 

In line with our ESCG Policy, we are currently committed to achieving a 50% reduction in our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by the end of 2030. Later in 2024, we will be setting out our ambition to be a net-zero company by 2050.

CW: What’s next for Pickerings?

PB: A well-known and respected lift consultant within the lift industry recently made a comment, saying, “Pickerings are the best-kept secret in the lift industry.” We are going to lift the lid on being the best-kept secret in the lift industry. The business has grown more than 50% in the last five years, and we want to see the same type of growth again over the next five years.

The first part of this exciting growth plan is that on 2 January we opened our 15th regional office, which will cover the East Anglia Region.

We are creating new opportunities that are attracting some of the industry’s best talent to our team. If you are reading this article and feel you can bring your own expertise to our close-knit team, then I would encourage you to send in a speculative application to jobs@pickeringslifts.co.uk, and please rest assured our discussions will be strictly confidential.

About Pickerings Lifts
Pickerings Lifts are the largest independent lift service company in the U.K. and are the trusted partner to thousands of instantly recognisable businesses and organisations. Established in 1854, Pickerings Lifts is still owned by the original family. With 15 regional offices and 400-plus employees, it offers engineering expertise to the retail, hospitality, industrial, transportation, healthcare and government sectors. pickeringslifts.co.uk