Broxap Street Furniture marks 75th anniversary

Broxap Street Furniture marks 75th anniversary

Street furniture manufacturer Broxap is celebrating 75 years in business.

Founded on November 8, 1946 by Sydney Lee, the business is today one of the UK market leaders in the design, manufacture and installation of seating; bins; bollards and planters; canopies and covered walkways; cycle shelters and storage; timber playgrounds; sports and outdoor gym equipment.

Sydney’s sons, John and Robert Lee, head up Broxap Street Furniture, which now includes the Sunshine Gym, Hand Made Places and Stadia Sports brands, as well as bollards.co.uk. And both chairman John and managing director Robert have been joined by their respective daughters, Stacy Brown and Rachel Lee, in the business as the next generation of entrepreneurs prepares to carry on building Broxap’s reputation for quality and innovation.

Robert said: “The UK is our home, and we make the furniture for our home. Wherever you go in the country you will find our furniture. Offering stability, protection and durability is what Broxap stands for.”

A visionary approach towards manufacturing has been at the heart of Broxap’s success from the company’s creation.

Originally incorporated as Hillsyde Foundry (Staffordshire) Limited, the company started out melting aluminium to produce cap guns and teddy bear money boxes for Woolworths.

The firm moved into cast iron engineering, melting iron through a cupola furnace that was installed at its Harriseahead base.

By 1980, the business had opened a new site in Chesterton where the foundry increased its output and began producing large engineering castings for customers such as JCB and Siemens.
It then invested in an electric furnace and by the middle of that decade Hillsyde undertook its first production of street furniture, beginning with the traditional red post box, and securing work from Broxap and Corby based in Manchester.

“We take great pride in producing street furniture,” said Robert.

“We don’t see a litter bin as a steel box. To us it is a finely crafted cabinet. Everything is designed and produced with respect – it is the same quality for outside Buckingham Palace as for an industrial estate."

“Our furniture is for use by everybody. Whether it’s a bus stop at the side of the road or a bin or a bench.”

In 1992 Hillsyde acquired Broxap and Corby, adopting the name. Today, following a number of business acquisitions, more than 220 people work across the firm’s divisions, all based in Chesterton.

The initial 13,000 square foot workshop is now a six-acre production and commercial site, occupying space both sides of Rowhurst Close. It’s a far cry from the two-man operation first set up by Sydney.

And there is a lot more to come.

Last year, Broxap invested more than £80,000 transforming a former storage area into a timber workshop to accommodate the growth in demand for playground equipment by Hand Made Places. Production at this workshop is now in full flow.

This year has seen a raft of site security enhancements as part of a £5 million investment plan including the purchase of new machinery.

A state-of-the-art laser cutting machine has been installed this month to enhance capacity, enabling engineering operatives to achieve even greater accuracy in the manufacturing of products.

Further workshop improvements to streamline operations and meet growing demand are in the pipeline, while a new, upgraded website was launched in the summer to refine the customer experience.

Robert said: “Dad left a legacy, unselfishly reinvesting profits and relocating the business from Harriseahead to Chesterton during 1973.

“John and I believe in this also and aim to complete the site development upgrade and mechanisation through continued reinvestment of profits by around 2025.”

To mark the 75th anniversary, and all the hard work of staff throughout the pandemic, a celebratory dinner and dance for employees is being held at Keele Hall.

Commercial Director John Boyle said: “From our relatively small beginnings, in Harriseahead in 1946, to the wider Broxap team based in Newcastle-under-Lyme today, staff members past and present have helped to create a business that we are all very proud to be a part of.

“We’re bringing the workforce together to celebrate the achievements from the last 75 years, and to remember everything that the company has achieved in that time.

“As we mark 75 years in business, we thank everyone for their support over the years and particularly during the last 18 months in our management of many unprecedented challenges.”

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Broxap

Broxap is the home of street furniture – they build, manufacture, deliver and install an extensive range of seating, litter bins, bollards and planters; shelters, canopies and walkways; cycle storage and parking products; and play, sports and outdoor...
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T(0844) 800 4085
F(01782) 565 357
Einfo@broxap.com
WVisit Broxap's website
 Rowhurst Industrial Estate, Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 6BD

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