LTR Supplies based in Teynham, Kent, is a family business, a trusted retailer of janitorial products, PPE and workwear, with in-house embroidered or printed branding.
As a family and a business we value honesty, integrity, and hard work. If our customers have a problem, we do our utmost to help them out. If a new customer has been let down, we will step in. If we promise a delivery, it will be there on time. 600 wet suits and 700 pairs of boots in 48 hours? No problem. Our reputation is built on the work we put in on behalf of our customers, and we’ll put in whatever hours it takes to protect that reputation and our position as a trusted retailer of janitorial, PPE and workwear supplies.
In 1998, Colin was managing a hygiene department but had been considering the idea of setting up his own business. Frustrations with his employer finally saw him handing in his notice – within hours of leaving, he had a long-standing customer call to ask if they could do business. A few phone conversations later, Colin was self-employed selling janitorial supplies.
For a while the business was run from the family home, with stock held in the garage, the cellar, the shed, the dining room – until Mrs Godden put her foot down and said she wanted her house back by Christmas! So we moved to our first premises, on an industrial estate in Faversham.
Business continued to grow as we added new lines to the stock we were able to supply, including a wide range of workwear and PPE, and by 2001 we had outgrown the space and moved to our current premises in Teynham. Having a shop front on a busy high street significantly increased our business.
We had been able to offer branded workwear through a third party supplier, but when problems with that supplier meant we were unable to honour commitments we had made to delivery dates, we quickly took steps to rectify the situation. We first acquired the equipment to offer transfer printing (cleaner, cheaper, and better quality than screen printing), and soon after that made space at the back of the shop for a four-hoop industrial embroidery machine. It was a steep learning curve, but we now firmly believe in the value of keeping all of the supply of branded workwear under our own roof, as both the quality of the product and delivery are entirely within our own control.
Every customer is important to us, from the biggest down to the sole trader or partnership. We’re mindful to keep a balance between large and small accounts – there’s risk associated with focussing too heavily on the bigger customers, so we treat everyone with the same care and dedication, whatever size their orders.
As a family and a business we value honesty, integrity, and hard work. If our customers have a problem, we do our utmost to help them out. If a new customer has been let down, we will step in. If we promise a delivery, it will be there on time. 600 wet suits and 700 pairs of boots in 48 hours? No problem. Our reputation is built on the work we put in on behalf of our customers, and we’ll put in whatever hours it takes to protect that reputation and our position as a trusted retailer of janitorial, PPE and workwear supplies.
