A small agricultural business selling second-hand equipment in Kendal has grown into a major firm employing more than 300 people. Barry Lloyd talks about how they've grown Lloyd Ltd over the past 50 years...

Ralph Lloyd always had an entrepreneurial spirit.

Living in the small village of Gatebeck, south of Kendal, he made a living through agricultural contracting and selling fuels and second-hand equipment to farmers in the local area.

In 1964 he caught the eye of Ford Motor Company, who approached him with the proposition of moving to Carlisle to sell its agricultural machinery.

Ralph duly moved himself and his family, including son Barry, north and rented premises from Ford dealers County Garage to get the business up and running.

A year later R Lloyd Tractors Ltd was the first business to take up residency on Kingstown Trading Estate.

“He was a born salesman and a huge character and he enjoyed his life to the full,” remembers Barry

"Initially the business was selling Ford tractors, but we added various machinery franchises to it and then everything just blossomed from there.

"We haven't grown overnight, we’ve grown over 50 years, which I think has been a proper decision. Boom and bust doesn't make sense to me so we've done it in stages.”

The gradual growth of Lloyd Ltd has come through steady acquisitions of other businesses and it now has seven major branches across northern England and

southern Scotland, including in Alnwick, Bishop Auckland, Carlisle, Dumfries, Kelso, Newcastle and Penrith, employing almost 300 people in total.

The sectors it services have also grown beyond agriculture to include groundcare, construction and materials-handling equipment and machinery.

As well as selling machinery and parts, the company also provides maintenance and support to customers throughout the lifetime of the equipment it supplies.

In addition it also sells lawn care equipment and accessories from all its branches, as well as equestrian clothing, feed, bedding and accessories from its Carlisle store.

Ralph, who died nearly 11 years ago, began stepping back from the business in the mid-seventies, buying a farm near Carlisle and breeding cattle.

Barry joined the business straight from school at age 17 in 1969 and began its diversification away from purely agricultural equipment.

"You're very vulnerable if you've got all your eggs in one basket and we moved into construction equipment, we moved into groundcare equipment - both domestic and commercial - we moved into equestrian,” says Barry.

“We've diversified, which has really been good for us.

"I worked in the workshop as an apprentice and I worked in the parts department, I worked in the accounts and then I worked in one or two of the branches like Dumfries, so I really did start right down at the bottom.

“I do have a good understanding of what it's like to be an engineer, what it's like to be a salesman and it was great grounding for me.”

Today Lloyd Ltd’s main agricultural equipment supplier is New Holland and the most recent extension of its territory for this brand covers Mid and East Lothian to the coast via a small premises locally, but with its Kelso branch acting as a hub for the whole area.

“This expansion further into Scotland is an excellent opportunity for us to show our new customers the level of support we can provide, together with the range of New Holland machinery available,” says Barry.

“Our Kelso branch has an enviable reputation for really going above and beyond for its customers, particularly during harvest, and that support will be enjoyed by those in the Lothians. We are in the process of refurbishing and extending our Kelso branch so the time is right for us to extend our coverage too.”

Last year it also acquired Border Group, which includes Border Barrier Systems, BorderLoos and Border Show Services.

Border Barriers are used all over the UK as well as in Europe and have served events including the 2012 Olympics and the Glastonbury Festival.

Border Group also serves construction sites and highway works and is now managed by Barry’s son Henry, 27.

Border Group itself has recently bought out a portable toilet supplier named Teeside Event and Site Services, in Barnard Castle.

“We can add to that business barriers, welfare units and fencing et cetera and the two complement each other very well,” says Henry.

“We have invested heavily in new products and services for Border Group so that we can give our customers the safety solutions they need. Just like Lloyd Ltd, we are focused on being a real one-stop shop for the construction and events sectors.”

In January Barry’s other son George, 31, who currently runs Lloyd Ltd’s Newcastle branch will take over from him as managing director while he moves into the chief executive role to oversee the company’s next growth spurt.

“We are always looking to expand and adapt,” says George.

“As it is essential for our customers that we move with the times and give them what they need to do their jobs effectively.

“We have spent a significant amount on new premises or extending existing ones because we believe it is essential that we invest for the future so that we can support our customers’ futures too.

“Our staff are also at the heart of our success and we continue to employ the best people in

the industry to give our customers the service they need.”

The business has also adapted and developed in other ways, including by purchasing a drone which is enabling it to carry out aerial field surveys for farmers so they can plan for land use and Barry has ambitions to expand into forestry equipment.

Alternative power for vehicles is becoming a more important aspect of the business as well, with 14 of its 40-vehicle fleet now electric.

At the same time, New Holland are producing more and more methane powered machinery.

“These tractors have a tank on the front that you fill full of methane and it will do about eight-and-a-half hours of solid work,” says Barry.

“There are 40 working in the UK now and they are going very, very well indeed.

“We have a little digger now which is half a tonne in weight and is completely electric.”

However, despite the process of growth and change, Barry says some things have remained consistent.

"There's three things we've got to look after; one is the staff, one is the customer and one is the supplier,” he says.

“Our philosophy as a company is that if we look after the staff properly and make sure we retain good people, they will in turn, look after the customers. We've tried hard from day one, and still do, to provide great customer service. The salesman sells the first machine, the backup support sells the second one.”

Barry also takes an informal and collaborative approach to management and George and Henry, who also joined the business from school, have also worked their way up from more hands-on roles.

“It’s very easy as a managing director, if a member of staff has a problem, to say ‘Do this or do that’, but if you haven’t done it yourself you might not have the right answer,” says Barry.

“With the management of the company we have an open door policy. There’s no hierarchy stuff. People can just knock and walk in and I’m always Barry, to them, I’m not Mr Lloyd. That’s how we run it.”

“It has been an important part of our growth that we give people the opportunity to show initiative and suggest ways we could be better,” says George.

“Our staff are great at coming up with ideas and, although we are a comparatively large business, we are able to adopt new ways of working quickly and easily. That approach has really helped us over the years.”

Outside of work Barry likes “playing” with the machinery himself at weekends and also breeds racehorses with his wife Julie, as well as enjoying a day or two’s shooting during the winter.

He says he is looking forward to the challenge of developing new opportunities for the business and is confident of another good year for the company.

“When Covid began it felt very much like Foot and Mouth, but like Foot and Mouth we’ve actually benefited through it,” says Barry.

“We were an essential service and so we never stopped.”

In fact, the business had its record year in 2020, surpassing it again last year and is on track for a bigger year still in 2022.

“We’ve got a stronger management team than we’ve ever had and a lot of long-serving staff who are totally dedicated to us,” says Barry.

“The future is bright for our customers and for us as a business too. We all work as a team – customers, staff and suppliers – and it’s the best way to get the results everyone needs. “Lloyd Ltd has been around for nearly six decades and we intend to be here for many more.”