Alan Styles is well qualified to take on the role, having attained a Business and Finance degree, as well as an MBA, and since leaving university almost 20 years ago he has been with the company, which boasts more than 290 employees. He is the eldest son of Bernie and Marjorie Styles – Bernie is the company’s chairman and the eldest son of company co-founder Ron Styles; Marjorie was previously a company director. Ian Styles is Bernie’s brother and youngest son of the founder.
The company supplies over 300 brands of tools and equipment, including machinery that takes in small CNC milling machines and lathes.
Axminster Tools & Machinery was founded in 1972 by Alan Styles’ grandfather Ron Styles and the late Graham Brown. Today it is a successful multi-million pound business with a strong online presence, a string of ever-increasing retail outlets and a field sales force selling to prestigious organisations such as Pinewood Studios, Ascot Racecourse, The National Trust and Sunseeker (yachts).
Over his time with Axminster Tools & Machinery, Alan Styles has worked in virtually every area, including customer service, retail and servicing, gaining a detailed understanding of the business. He has held the positions of: customer services manager; office manager; purchasing director; and, most recently, sales director, and has seen the company grow rapidly since he joined.
Says the new managing director: “Gaining the relevant qualifications, experience and, more importantly, learning from colleagues, customers and other industries over the years has given me good grounding for this business, so I believe I am very engaged with the function and operation of the company.In my role as a director, I have also had the opportunity to visit many of our customers, which I feel has given me a real insight to our market.”
A family man, Alan Styles is married to Emma; they have two daughters and have made their home in Kilmington. He is active in the community, being an ambassador for Devon and helping with local initiatives in education and business. He is also a court assistant for The Furniture Makers’ Company, a charity which actively supports welfare, training and education for the furniture industry, which in turn contributes £40 billion to the UK’s economy.
Alan paid tribute to the previous managing director, his uncle Ian, saying: “I feel humbled at taking on the role from Ian and would like to thank him for his dedication to it. I am passionate about our company, our products, customers, processes and people, and I am strongly committed to its success in the future. Ian will still be very much involved at board level, as he has been at the helm for a very long time, holds a wealth of knowledge and, along with my family and other board members, has made this company what it is today.
“We do have a strong name for customer values, knowledge and availability. This is backed up by a strong ethos of service and honesty, which is supported by the loyal and enthusiastic people I work with. Our processes and operation are impressive, but there's always room for improvement, so I will be working with all areas to see what improvements we can make on an ongoing basis.”
