Coventry’s oldest firm determined to survive as it sources vital PPE for NHS
COVENTRY’S oldest company is determined to survive despite the shockwaves from the Covid-19 pandemic that are spreading through the economy.
Astleys, a family-owned business specialising in workplace cleaning and hygiene supplies, has been forced to furlough 60 per cent of its staff and operate a skeleton workforce during the crisis, one of the worst it has faced in its 290-year history.
As trades whose staff can’t work from home begin to resume operations this week following the Government announcing its roadmap out of lockdown, the company, which operates a 30,000ft distribution warehouse, is experiencing a slow reset.
Amid warnings that Britain is on the brink of its worst recession in 300 years, Astleys has mustered its resources to ensure it continues to provide an essential service, especially to the NHS, care sector and schools, who rely on the company as an established, trusted supplier of workplace gear including personal protective equipment (PPE).
Sales and marketing director Jonathan Astley said: “Some of our customers are returning to work although it’s still relatively quiet. A lot of our customers are schools and there is a huge amount of uncertainty about what direction the reopening will take.
“The roads are a little bit busier than normal but the traffic is still at a fraction of what it would normally be. It’s too early to tell if trade will pick up but we are poised to help businesses as much as we are able to.
“Unfortunately we have had to furlough the majority of our workforce and operate with a skeleton staff. We have also been hampered by supply issues as the vast majority of PPE and hygiene materials are going, quite correctly, to the frontline NHS “
Astleys has temporarily closed its shop in Coventry Business Park, operating a collections system with contactless payments social distancing and enhanced hygiene protocols in place. A skeleton staff of 15 has also followed this regime on the site and in the offices.
No one in the overall workforce has so far tested positive for Covid19.
However Mr Astley, speaking as it was revealed that the UK economy contracted at the fastest pace on record in March, believes the “new normal” will be hard-going.
“It’s plain that some companies are not going to make it out the other side,” he said.
“It’s tough on all types of businesses, especially the independent and self-employed traders in the construction industry who perhaps haven’t been able to take advantage of the furlough scheme or haven’t built up the trade on their books that they’ve needed. It’s incredibly difficult for them.
“I’m amazed at the resilience some people have shown.”
Established in 1730 while George I was on the throne, Astleys has survived two world wars and its former premises in Broadgate being bombed by the IRA in 1939. However, the current crisis is one of the gravest threats in its history and the company has witnessed casualties among businesses that it has long-standing links with after they buckled under the strain of the pandemic and the financial pressures it has unleashed.
Astleys, which has been designated an essential business by the Government, has one major incentive to continue trading as a reputable supplier of protective gear and cleaning products to the NHS and health care sector. Mr Astley has encountered inferior, non-certified batches of PPE and overpriced hand-sanitiser products being hawked around the West Midlands. “There is an awful lot of PPE being offered to people that has no specification or certification, which is really quite worrying,” he said.
“It’s something the
Safety Industry Federation has put out quite a lot of publicity about.
“Unfortunately times of crisis bring out the best in some people but not in others.”
Astleys’ customers include NHS Property Services, whose staff include cleaners and engineers with frontline roles including clearing up after Covid-19 cases at hospitals.
Astleys has been asked by the NHS to source certifiable supplies of PPE to address shortages in the health care system, and these orders have been a priority.
“There are a lot of challenges, a lot of bumps in the road ahead,” Mr Astley said.
“Our cash flow is very significantly cut but we will get through it and we will come back round and be a part of whatever the ‘new normal’ is. While this probably doesn’t rank alongside our building in Broadgate being bombed by the IRA in 1939, it is up there as one of the most significant events the company has faced.
“We are determined to exit this situation as a strong company with our reputation for fairness intact, while minimising the strain on our customers.”
We are determined to exit this situation as a strong company with our reputation for fairness intact, while minimising the strain on our customers