Packaging firm looks
to export market for growth

Leeds-based Roberts Mart & Co, which has been owned by the same family for more than 160 years, believes there is plenty of scope to find customers in Europe despite the economic uncertainty.

The company, which is one of the UK’s biggest independent manufacturers of flexible packaging, has invested £2.5m in plant machinery to boost production capacity at its two facilities in Leeds.

The company’s success shows that family firms can still prosper during periods when many smaller enterprises are being swallowed up by multi-nationals.

John Roberts, the company’s chairman, said: “Exports are currently less than five per cent of our business.

“We supply customers in France, Germany and Estonia. We are keen to expand our sales into Europe, which will be complemented by our recent capital expenditure policy.”

Roberts Mart, which is expected to increase its turnover by more than £2m this year, employs 140 people across its two sites in Leeds.

From humble beginnings as a paper merchant, the Yorkshire company has survived world wars, a general strike and several recessions to become a mainstay of the UK’s printing and packaging industry.

Roberts Mart & Co was founded in 1852 by William Roberts as a paper merchant in Lady Lane, Leeds.

Initially, the company produced handmade bags. It then moved into commercial printing before the company set up new premises at Bank Mills in 1892.

In October 2004, Roberts Mart moved to a newly-built state-of-the-art factory in the Aire Valley,

There has always been a Roberts at the helm since the company was established, and the present joint managing directors are the father and son team of John and William Roberts.

Roberts Mart chairman John Roberts, who handed over the day-to-day running of the firm to his sons William and Ben in 2009, said: “We have survived and flourished because of our ability to adapt and expand into new markets.

“We have a strong balance sheet and our finances have allowed us to remain independent.

“We are also able to make quick decisions because of the absence of corporate bureaucracy.

“We’ve continued to invest in the business and are installing a new printing press which can be used for a wide variety of flexible packaging jobs.

“We will gear up production gradually as and when new business comes on stream,’’ Mr Roberts added.

“The majority of our business is in the FMCG sector (fast moving consumer goods).

“These are products that people will always need to purchase, regardless of issues in the wider economy.

“But the recession has placed pressure on margins as our customers have looked to drive value, and it has also affected companies’ ability to pay on time. We deal with this as well we are able.

“We hope that the present raft of business legislation and red tape will soon be reduced to stimulate both growth and confidence.

“We are still experiencing challenging trading conditions, but we are keen to continue our capital expenditure policy.”

Investment in bag making and printing equipment has helped the group to grow, while maintaining its independence.

It is the market leader in household textile packaging, and in 1991, it was granted a patent covering the manufacture of roll pack carrier bags, which are suitable for pillows and continental quilts.

To help expansion into new markets, Roberts Mart has spent more than £13m over the last eight years on its manufacturing site on the outskirts of Leeds.

Commenting on the outlook for 2013, Mr Roberts added: “Our plans revolve round commissioning all our latest items of capital equipment.

“New product development will be maintained throughout the group.”

According to Ben Roberts, the company is only as good as its workforce. No favouritism is shown to family members when jobs become available.

Mr Roberts said: “Although Roberts Mart is an extremely family oriented business, we are committed to developing a team with a diverse range of skills, and to do this, we always welcome new recruits, selected by merit, to join the company and become a part of our extended family.”

But the family connections at Roberts Mart do not stop with the company owners. Over the years, a number of local families have forged long-standing ties with the company’s operations on Thornes Farm Way, and the subsidiary company Romar Packaging, which is based in Newmarket Lane.

The Wintersgills are one of seven families that have more than one employee at the firm.

Shift manager Alan Wintersgill received a long service award in 2010 after completing 40 years at Roberts Mart, and his son Lee is also employed at the company as a printer.

Mr Wintersgill believes the “family atmosphere” on the shop floor inspires loyalty.

He said: “Whoever you are, and whatever your role, people matter at Roberts Mart, and that does make for a dedicated workforce who will rally round when the going gets tough.

“I should know, having survived four recessions.”