Victoria Poolman heads south to meet Graeme Allison and see the new enterprise for herself.

The key objectives when branching out with a new business idea are firstly, to find a gap in the market for what you’re offering, and secondly, to make sure the customers keep coming back for more. Since their first fence was erected back in 2001, Four Seasons Fencing have kept these boxes well and truly ticked, which may be why we’re seeing such a good run of progress from the Ashford-based company.

Since relocating to the new premises in Bethersden two years ago, all three branches of the Cole Group have gelled together in a place which not only gives some breathing space in a rather lovely part of the world, but also room to develop any ideas they happen to come up with...

Graeme Allison, Four Seasons Fencing’s Director, fills me in:

“Last year, our very first employee Dave Batt came off the tools and replaced them for a desk in the office. Clearly he had itchy fingers, as he soon came up with the idea of a new retail side to the business.

“As contractors, our main work is for construction companies, utilities and railways, so the prospect of a retail side that could cater solely for smaller local contractors and the domestic market, meant we’d be covering a whole different range.”

On realising that there was room in the market place for catering for this local market, Dave and Graeme put their plans into action.  

Graeme tells me, “Having the retail centre not only aids the efficiency of our contractors but also helps our buying power” (not forgetting keeping Dave busy.) Having worked in the fencing industry for 25 years, Mister Batt is the man to ask any questions, and he’s clearly chuffed to bits with the success of his latest enterprise:

“So far, we’re doing really well. We have another ex-erector who is generally doing deliveries and preparing orders and Denise in the main office who looks after the administration and accounts, and generally keeps us all on our toes.”

The retail centre has a well displayed selection of gates, panels and fittings – tidy, spacious and low lit, this isn’t your usual DIY or parts shop, but a rather more sophisticated outfit.  Business has already got off to a smashing start with all targets met and exceeded. It’s all about getting the word out now, and with Four Seasons upping their one-ad-per-week campaign, that’s sure to help the profit graph keep on rising.

Graeme says, “Considering we only opened on the 11th February this year, we’ve done exceptionally well with the business whilst dealing with all the inevitable teething problems that come with any new outlet – IT, stocks and meeting demands. Now we’ve got the business off the ground we can get on with building a supply business that we can all be proud of and with the support of a number of UK timber and steel manufacturing businesses we have plenty of good quality stock, which we are happy to sell on.”

But that’s not the only thing Graeme is happy about, as he shows me around the new site and fills me in on all the changes they’ve made so far, as well as those that are due to be made in the near future. “We’ve got approximately 10,000 square feet of storage allocated to the fencing supplies and in the region of £100,000 worth of stock, which enables us to be as efficient as possible”, he says.

It all seems to be coming together very nicely for the company, as Graeme and I look around the yard... except for one minor hold up. “See that over there? Those are the original Westminster Bridge parapets, brought back to this yard after a total refurbishment by our sister company Cole Ironcraft.” And my God, what a lot of bridge we’re talking about. “We are still looking for people who might be interested in buying it and are currently in the process of blasting and repainting a few sections. We’re trying a few different arenas at the moment and hopefully it will find a home soon.” I would offer to buy it, but I just don’t know how I’d ever get it in the car.

Aside from that section of the yard being taken up, there’s still plenty of room to swing several cats, and plenty of fresh stock ready to go out on the next job. “We’ve recently won a big contract for FM Conway, supplying and installing concrete posts and panels, and we’re also in the process of putting the finishing touches to the South East Trains new engineering depot in Ramsgate. We’ve had operators on that job for going on two years, and have erected a fair amount of steel palisade and three metre high acoustic fencing,” Graeme adds.

So business really is booming with the continued growth of the company, as well as the recent acquisition of a new Contracts Manager to help with pricing and running gangs. Graeme says, “Our fencing turnover last year grew by 50%, and I see no reason why we shouldn’t keep a good level of progression up.”

Indeed, a lot can happen in four seasons, so we’ll look forward to hearing next year’s news bulletin from Ashford.

For further information visit www.thecolegroup.co.uk or call 01233 820240