| The Beginnings
The Armes' story started in Kings Lynn in 1830 when William Armes, a Master Mariner, quit his seafaring to start his own business trading in and manufacturing, coir and sisal matting. William Armes moved the business from Kings Lynn to Sudbury in 1888, taking over the premises known as Chilton Mills, hitherto a flour mill which had been built some twelve years previously. Weaving coir yarn imported from India into doormats and coir matting, mats and matting of every shape and size emerged from the factory and business flourished.
In 1960, with the Company headed by Mervyn Clover, the founder's great-great-grandson, a woven kitchen rug made from tubular PVC was invented, and called Dandycord. An instant success, it was soon to be seen in kitchens and bathrooms throughout the land
The Business Grows
The business grew apace and, in 1969, was snapped up by the huge, multi-national conglomerate, the Guthrie Corporation.
Guthrie's world-wide marketing expertise and its financial muscle complemented Armes' skills and the product range, already well established in its various markets, became firmly entrenched. Innovative products followed - synthetic grass from Canada, rush matting from China, finished coir mats from India - all marketed in tandem with Dandycord.
In 1985 the Company was purchased back from the Guthrie Corporation and since then has been run as a family business. With thousands of High Street accounts, including some of the huge multi-branch outlets like Argos and Homebase, William Armes Ltd. is now firmly established as the leading U.K.manufacturer/distributor of domestic doormats and associated products.
The Present Day
William Armes Ltd. is ISO9001:2000 registered, demonstrating its total
commitment to quality control.
Proud owner of its own 8 acre site in Sudbury, Suffolk, William Armes Limited, with its turnover increasing year on year, and ever alive to new opportunities and the potential of innovative products, moved into the Millennium and its 170th birthday, with enthusiasm and confidence.
|
