Expert Woodturners For More Than A Century

Jackson Woodturners has been established as expert woodturners for more than 100 years. Based in Sheffield, the family firm is now in its fourth generation which provides customers with a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise. Paul Andrews spoke to director, Lucie Levesley to find out more about the stair part specialists.

As Lucie explains, “The business was started by my Great, Great Grandfather, Alfred Jackson back in 1910, predominantly making tool handles. My father joined him in the business which continued in the tool handle arena until the 1980’s when the market started to change. It was at this time that the business looked towards the future and making the strategic decision to diversify and so the business started to make furniture parts and table legs.”

“In the late 1990s my Dad set up our first company website, mostly selling staircase parts and this was the catalyst to us growing, selling these parts all over the UK and becoming the business we are today,” continues Lucie.

The business has moved a number of times during the course of its life but never far from where the original factory was housed, Sheffield and the local area is very much part of Jackson’s DNA. They are currently housed in a factory that used to make steel tubes and there are still remnants today of the railway track in the factory where trains used to arrive, be loaded and depart from the building!

“We moved into the current factory in 2010, moving from about half a mile down the road by Kelham Island and Neepsend,” she continues. “This area is home for the business and we didn’t want to move far.”

Like plenty of other family firms, the place in which they operate is part of the very essence of who Jackson Woodturners are and moving the factory was very much about finding a new home that allowed them to retain their roots in the part of Sheffield where they have been operating for over 100 years. As Lucie explains, “This used to be a very industrial area but it has been and is continuing to change and there is plenty of regeneration ongoing as the community evolves.”

Lucie and her brother Luke both work in the business today. “We used to be picked up from school by our grandparents and would come into the factory with them, be given a broom and asked to sweep up,” she continues.

“We would be given little jobs to do and help out where we could, something that we both put down to normal day to day life in a family business.”

“I never really gave the family business much thought growing up apart from helping out after school as my mind was firmly set on a career in fashion. I studied Fashion Design at University and then worked as a buyer for a jewellery brand, so there was never much intention for getting involved with the family firm. I took voluntary redundancy and moved back to Sheffield where I was planning to train to become a hairdresser but Dad had other ideas and said no to the hairdressing and as the business was growing Dad asked me to come and work for him. I joined in 2006 and despite not planning to work in the business for long, have stayed and am now fully employed in the family business. I love the fact that I get to see my family every day, I have a great work/life balance and enjoy the variety of work that being involved entails, although my main role is in procurement where I buy an assortment of products and materials.”

As a family business, Jackson Woodturners has become well known in their sector, supplying both trade and retail and as they have always held good stock quantities have seen the business continue to do well. “The pandemic was not an easy time for anybody but with plenty of stock sourced from factories in the Far East and longer lead times during the pandemic, our stock holding stood us in good stead and we continued to supply people who took the opportunity to invest in their homes.”

“We hold stock and pride ourselves on quality products at affordable prices to all and we have a great and loyal customer base of trade customers who we are happy to support, and a fantastic retail customer base too."

"Service is key and we often help people choose the right products for them and then their joiner fits it for them.”

Jackson Woodturners supply all over the UK, distributing products of up to 4.2 metres in length, offering the widest range of stair part designs in various timbers and metals in the UK.

“We have stood the test of time because we have evolved, changing from the original tooling handles to staircases and other products. We have even brought in a range of glass and metal products too, which have become very popular,” she adds.

“We operate in a sector which is really specific but it is often the case that when people see the range of options available they end up buying products different to the ones they thought they wanted when they came into the showroom.”

“We want people to be happy and it is great to help them explore the options and finishes available so that they have the solution that truly works for them.”

Many family businesses fail to stand the test of time and certainly never make it to their centenary but Jackson Woodturners have bucked this trend and the fourth generation are now firmly at the helm as the business continues to innovate and plan for the next stage in their journey.

So what is the key to their longevity? “We provide quality products and are helpful and knowledgeable with our customers and we sell products that we would be more than happy to have in our own homes. We care and do take things personally, which I guess is one of the things that make working in a family business special.”

“I like having my family around me at work and my role in the family business also helps me juggle all the hats I have to wear, as a leader, sister, wife, daughter and Mum to name a few."

"Dad has an incredible work ethic and comes into the business six days a week and he will always be around it. He doesn’t need to be here as much but the business is in his blood, like it was my grandfathers who worked up until the day he went into hospital and died. Dad is a fountain of knowledge and it is great to have him around, even on days when he comes in and potters in his workshop or sits in his chair by the fire. The time we have together is fantastic.”

As she concludes, “Family businesses are special and you have to get involved when it is your business as business becomes personal. You do what you need to do and we do just that. It’s our brand, our business and we do what we do because we love what we do and it matters.”

“We also recognise the need to evolve and that we cannot stand still so are always keeping on trend, looking at where the industry is going and making sure that we remain on top of our game. We have had the same ethos for over 100 years and it continues to stand us in good stead for the future.”

“And when it comes to the future, Luke has two daughters and I have one daughter but they are still very young so who knows what the future will hold. They are all aware of the business but time will have to run its course to see if the fifth generation will take the helm down the line,” she concludes.