4th Generation Family Business Celebrates Centenary

Based in Kirkby in Ashfield Nottingham, the company was founded in 1922 by Joseph Merritt as a coal delivery business. Since then, Merritts has evolved from these humble beginnings into a global enterprise providing innovative heavy machinery lifting, transport, installation and storage solutions to the world’s leading heavy machinery manufacturers, agents, distributors and manufacturing companies.

Continual investment has enabled the company to evolve steadily over the years and pass into the hands of the fourth generation of management and the company is now co-owned by brothers, James and Richard Merritt.

The company has an extensive fleet of transport vehicles, vans, cranes, forklifts and specialist lifting equipment and employs over 40 staff. Over the last two years alone, over £2m has been invested in new equipment.

Commenting, James Merritt, said, “Underpinning our history of success and our ability to continually deliver a professional and efficient service to our customers, is our policy of continuous investment in competent personnel, and the latest lifting equipment & vehicles. More recently this has included a fleet of electric vehicles as we look to operate more sustainably and meet the requirements of key sectors.”

Merritts operate throughout the UK and overseas across a multitude of industrial and manufacturing sectors, and having bounced back from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, the company posted a turnover to 30 June 2021 of £6m. Projects have included major factory relocation projects, new machinery deliveries and installations, production line heavy machinery reorganisations, and the provision of secure industrial storage.

Customers range from local SMEs to global organisations in sectors such as aerospace, defence, automotive, food, drink, education, textiles, plastics, waste & recycling, metalwork, healthcare and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The company’s secure industrial storage facilities has over 80,000 ft² of internal warehouse space and is also an HMRC approved bonded facility.

Operations Director Richard Merritt added, “According to the Family Business Institute, only 30% of family-owned business reach the second generation, 12% into the third, and just 3% are passed to the fourth generation or beyond. So we are understandably proud of our achievement as this further supports our strategy of successful diversification. It also demonstrates how we have consistently gone above and beyond to ensure we adapt and invest to meet the client’s needs.”