This year Chippindale Hire & Sales celebrates its 75th anniversary. CPN looks how the company plans to mark the occasion, while keeping an eye on future growth and expansion.
From its humble beginnings in 1949, founded by Wilfred Chippindale with a mere £100 of his savings, Chippindale Hire & Sales journey is a remarkable story. In the beginning, Chippindale was a small venture operating from Wilfred’s Leeds home, specialising in concrete and scaffolding sales.
Small as it started, Wilfred had a vision – to build a business that looked to the future but kept family values and customer needs at its heart. By 1955, Brian and Gordon, Wilfred’s two sons, were part of the business and eventually his grandsons, Nigel and Peter Chippindale, took the reins in the 1980s, to become joint managing directors and this was where the real driving force behind the company’s major expansion and growth across the north of England began.
Over the decades, this focus has seen the company burgeon from its local roots into a dominant force across the north of the UK, with eight depots and a big reputation for excellence.
It has long been a pioneer in embracing technology. In the early ’70s, it kitted out its fleet with radio phones and a decade later it transitioned into the digital age, integrating computers throughout its operations – an almost revolutionary step in 1982.
Today, Chippindale continues to be at the forefront of technological adoption, enhancing its offerings with the latest in construction technology and maintaining partnerships with famous brands such as Atlas Copco, Volvo, BOMAG, Mecalac, Epiroc and Stihl, but it has never forgotten its roots.
“It’s perhaps the most defining characteristic of Chippindale – the commitment to a family-oriented approach in business,” says Nigel Chippindale. “The 75th Anniversary celebrations are not just about the company’s longevity, but the generations of staff – some of whom have dedicated over three decades of service – whose hard work and loyalty have been instrumental in Chippindale’s success. We have a team that really cares about the customer.”
Although the celebrations are a chance to reflect on its strengths, Chippindale isn’t resting on its laurels. Following Nigel and Peters retirement at the end of this month, new managing director Paul Blake is now fully leading the team, with over 40 years of industry experience and exciting plans to drive the business forward by introducing new equipment, along with new depot expansions also on the horizon to further expand and improve their local service over the UK.
“We now have the opportunity to supply a much wider range of specialist equipment on a larger geographical spread; including, access equipment, super MEWPs, specialist telehandlers and lifting equipment – and much more in future,” explains Paul.
The company’s recent integration into the AER Rents Group also opens a new chapter of expansion and possibilities.
“Joining the AER Rents Group will help us increase our nationwide presence and diversify our equipment offerings without diluting the core family values and customer-centric service at the heart of what we do,” explains Paul. “In fact, AER is owned by the O’Flaherty Group which itself is very much a family-owned business with an underpinning ethos of safety, innovation and service.”
This commitment to sustainability and innovation is evident in key fleet and infrastructure investments, including full emissions compliance for the Chippindale fleet, an expanded nationwide attachments division and the continuous enhancement of its Safety, Health, Environmental and Quality policies. The company says it is aiming for ISO 45001 accreditation at all depots within the next 12 months.
The introduction of a custom-designed website with an e-commerce tool and light equipment shop also represents a forward-thinking approach to meeting the evolving needs of its clients.
“The e-commerce side of the business is showing major growth, as we expand our offering into the business-to-consumer markets in addition our core business-to-business market that we’ve always serviced,” says Paul. “We curated a selection of products on the site which ranges from smaller landscaping and gardening equipment to light construction plant which caters to small to medium sized building companies. We can back up the online business with our award winning in-branch customer and after sales team, knowledge and our plans for the web shop are really exciting.”
As the construction industry continues to evolve, and with Paul now at the helm, Chippindale remains at the forefront, embracing change, adapting strategies and pioneering innovations. This commitment ensures the company stays agile and prepared for both the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in the coming decades, all while maintaining a steadfast focus on customer needs.
