JJO in Lancashire has opened a new £750,000 one-stop trade shop and showroom in Rawtenstall.
The kitchen, bedroom and bathroom manufacturer purchased the former Jacobson Group works in Bacup Road, Cloughfold, Rawtenstall, in May 2018. Local MP Jake Berry cut the ribbon at a ceremony in December 2019 and JJO had planned to open the new facility in May last year, but the coronavirus and numerous lockdowns delayed the opening until now.
Called Marshall House, the new building houses the trade shop – formerly located in Rossendale Interiors in Stacksteads – and has a showroom downstairs. JJO is also adding a further 5,000sq ft of displays on the mezzanine level.
Said joint managing director Stephen Greenhalgh: “We are currently carrying out more than 500 deliveries a week nationwide, and with orders still coming in, we decided we had waited long enough and the trade shop is now open.
“Given the current situation, there was no formal opening, but we are delighted to now be able to offer our trade customers the service they need and deserve.
“The new building has a showroom downstairs and a specially constructed mezzanine upper floor is being fitted out with 5,000sq ft of displays.
“Opening Marshall House provides an all-round better experience for trades people, especially when they come to collect as they will no longer have to travel the length of the Valley.”
The new facility is managed by Patrick Wilkinson, JJO’s trade and contract sales manager. He said: “Before we opened Marshall House, trades people would have to visit various JJO sites to collect the items they needed, but now it is all under one roof, so it is more customer-friendly.
“The new showroom is ideal for showing clients around and we have much more space in the offices for staff.”
Wilkinson added: “Full kitchen and bathroom orders are available to collect just four hours after the order is placed, that is our USP. One of our key performance indicators is that 98% per cent of our kitchens are complete first time – and there can be 150 individual items in a kitchen order.”
The new building is names after long-standing JJO director Kenneth Marshall, who lost his battle with cancer in December 2018.
Greenhalgh also said JJO had been using East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce to help it with customs declarations in order to speed up new import processes post-Brexit.
He said: “January’s bill alone was £4,000 to £5,000 for customs clearance for products, as we import a lot from Germany, Austria and Italy, and we have experienced minor delays.
“Northern Ireland is still a bit of an issue as we send quite a lot of goods over there and, because it is still in the EU single market, it is like exporting to a foreign country.”