James Latham, one of the UK’s leading independent distributors of timber, panels and decors emerged triumphant at last month’s Timber Trade Journal Awards, scooping-up four accolades including the prestigious grand prix, Timber Trader of the Year.
This hotly anticipated award, informally known as the ‘Oscars’ of the timber trade, is voted on by the industry itself. Crucially, it recognises an organisation that has demonstrated exceptional service, creativity and ingenuity over the preceding 12 months, enhancing the sector as it does so.
James Latham was singled out for its all-round service proposition, environmental credibility, innovative outlook, marketing excellence and commitment to training.
The distributor also walked away with three more gongs. The first, Hardwood Trader of the Year, highlighted James Latham’s incredible range, the knowledge of its depot teams and its strong supply chain. Voted for by customers, this was a great demonstration of the respect and high regard afforded to the distributors by the people that really matter, its clients.
In the Judged category, it also took the Marketing Excellence Award for its recent ‘Think You Know Great Service?’ campaign, a short sharp activation combining customer research and direct marketing to help attract new, and revive dormant, customers. Posting impressive results, including a 26% increase in new accounts by close of the campaign’s three month run, the judges described it as a 'Kick-Ass' and 'Outstanding'; a great example of how to achieve high engagement and conversion-rate on a modest budget.
Finally, Mateusz Miczek, Operations Supervisor at James Latham Leeds picked up the Career Development Over-25 award. One of the company’s fastest-rising stars, this win reflects an ongoing investment in people and their development as timber professionals, contributing to the James Latham team’s long-standing reputation as experts steeped in the timber industry.
Commenting on the achievement, Chairman, Nick Latham says, “An amazing result, and one which touches on every part of the business, from the people who drive the lorries and operate the depots to the valuable work done in the back-office, from finance and complaince to HR and on to our passionate and knowledgeable salespeople. It’s a real recognition of the ongoing investment we make into our processes, plant and most importantly our people.
“However, we’re a business of continual self-improvement and we won’t let this go to our heads, there’s still room to grow to be even better and, importantly, do the best we can by our customers.”
