A leading North-East business which has been run by the same family for six generations is celebrating further company expansion.
Karpet Mills, which currently operates three stores and employs 30 people across the region, is set to open its fourth branch in Hexham, where the business began almost 140 years ago.
The company has invested over £150,000 in the new store, while maintaining the roles of five staff employed by the building’s former occupiers, Dickinsons Furnishers. The firm plans to create several more job opportunities in coming months.
The new branch, which will be based in Gilesgate, is set to open January 20.
Joel Dickinson, Karpet Mills operations director, said: “It is a fantastic move for Karpet Mills to return to Hexham where our family business began.
“As a local family firm we are incredibly invested in the area thanks to our history within Hexham, and were able to bring our business back thanks to the interest we’ve had in our products and services from the community.
“The opening is a fantastic way for us to start 2018, and we hope to continue this growth and success by creating further roles at our new branch, as well as introducing a new range of designer brands to add to our already popular range of affordable products.”
In 2001, Conrad Dickinson, fifth generation of the family firm, sold the retail arm of the business to the current owners of Dickinson’s Furnishers, who have now ceased trading in Hexham. Since 2001, the Dickinson family have had no involvement with Dickinson’s Furnishers whatsoever, apart from acting as landlords.
Karpet Mills is the trading name of the Dickinson family business, which was established in 1878 and has remained as a family run business, now into its sixth generation. The firm is currently the number one provider of carpets and flooring for the North East, covering Newcastle Upon Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland & Durham with branches in Kingston Park, Gateshead and Hetton-le-Hole.
