EYG turns over £650m five decades after humble beginnings in Hull garage

25th November 2022

EYG is celebrating two incredible landmarks – reaching their 50^th anniversary in business and turning over an incredible £650m over those five decades.

The family firm, which employs around 300 staff, now manufactures and supplies products including windows and doors for homes and businesses across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

But the business had incredibly humble beginnings - having started life in a small single garage in a residential street in East Yorkshire.

Office was a ‘cupboard under the stairs’

The firm was founded by friends Jim Bingham and Chris George in 1971, with Jim’s single garage doubling up as a storage facility for the windows, and his ‘office’ was housed in a cupboard under the stairs.

Jim, now 75, quoted for the work, surveyed the houses, and fitted the windows, and his wife Linda acted as the finance and accounts clerk, while raising their two small daughters.

Chris continued in his job while the business got off the ground, having helped Jim to buy their first work van.

Rapid expansion

As the business grew, Chris joined full time as a director, with Jim as Managing Director, and they moved into their first office premises on Hessle Road, Hull, within a year.

Their success came quick. Within ten years EYG was already employing over 100 staff.

Fast forward 50 years later and the business now occupies over 55,000ft across two sites in Gipsyville, and the fledgling firm which turned over just £10,000 in its first year, has just turned over £21m in 2022.

Although Chris has now retired, Jim is still hands-on in the business, working three days a week.

Meanwhile, his son-in-law Nick Ward, who joined the firm over 30 years ago in a sales role, is now part-owner and sole Managing Director.

The firm recently hired the third generation of the family, with Jim’s grandson William,16, starting as a marketing apprentice.

Family at its heart

EYG is now celebrating its 50^th anniversary and reaching the incredible landmark of turning over a total of £650m in that time – making a huge impact on the Hull economy and having employed thousands of staff over that period.

But despite its incredible success, family remains at its heart, with not only three generations of Jim’s family still working there, but also providing employment for relatives of many of its long-serving staff – with entire families, as well as fathers and sons working there.

Many of the current staff have been there for more than 40 years.

Jim’s sister and brother-in-law Janet and Dave Nuttall were among its first employees, alongside Jim’s other sister-in-law Carol Gray.

Although Dave retired after more than 40 years’ service, Janet and Carol are still with the firm and remain some of the longest-serving employees.

Jim and Linda’s daughters also joined the firm, with Louise taking on an admin and secretarial role before leaving to start her own family, and Lisa joining the marketing department in 2021.

'Incredibly proud'

Jim, who seems himself as ‘the grandfather’ of the business now, said he is incredibly proud about how far the business has come.

“It really is a proud moment when I look back on what we have achieved. I still find it astonishing to think where it all began, in my garage at the first house I ever bought.

“It makes me very proud to think of all the jobs we’ve created and the money we have generated for the economy. But I really do have everyone else to thank along the way, all the customers who chose to buy from us, and the staff who help us run the business.”

Nick, who oversees the daily running of the entire operation – which includes a thriving and busy commercial and trade division as well as their domestic operations – has been instrumental in the expansion and future-proofing of the business.

He said: “We have been through many recessions and dips in the economy, as well as a global pandemic which finished many of our competitors. Our focus is always on protecting the stability of the firm, and we continue to flourish despite tough conditions.

“We are incredibly grateful to the loyalty of our customers, many of whom keep coming back to us time and time again. They know and trust us, and people see our vans around the region and know who we are.

“It’s a privilege to be seen as part of Hull’s history, particularly as we had our first offices in the heart of Hull’s famous fishing community.

“We owe our success to our customers and staff and look forward to moving forward in 2023,” he added.

Tom Butler, Head of Sales and Marketing at GGF, said: “It’s always great to see GGF member companies going from strength to strength.

“It’s fantastic to see EYG reach their 50^th anniversary milestone and we look forward to seeing them continue to thrive over the coming years.”

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