Celebrations have been taking place at Kenrick as the West Bromwich based hardware supplier marks its 230-year anniversary.
Archibald Kenrick established the company in his hometown of West Bromwich more then two centuries ago, acquiring his first shop in 1787. This year, the company also honours 190 years since Archibald’s son, Archibald Junior, joined the rapidly growing business. The company became ‘Archibald Kenrick & Son’ – a name it is still known by today.
Steve Jones, managing director at Kenrick, said: “This is a really special year for our business as we celebrate a staggering 230 years since our founder went in to partnership with the buckle-maker, Thomas Bolton. Archibald was a brave 27-year old entrepreneur and he set the business up for an extremely long heritage in the UK. The Kenrick family was well-known in the area and the company employed hundreds of local people. We still have a strong presence within the community and there are several landmarks named after our business, including the local park, Kenrick Park and the main road, Kenrick Way.
“I’m really proud to be a part of this business and to see it trading successfully after many, many years. The company has produced all manner of products in its 230-year history and is now established as one of the leading suppliers of quality hardware to the window and door industry. This is a terrific milestone for our company and I feel privileged to build on this amazing pedigree. I’m genuinely excited about the next phase in the future of this business.”
Kenrick originally manufactured buckles and livery fittings from a 4,000 square yard site close to the Birmingham canal in West Bromwich. The company continually traded through both world wars and, during the Second World War, it even manufactured 7 million hand grenades and 1.5 million 2-inch mortar bombs, to aid the war effort.
The company still manufactures from the same site and, for more than 100 years, has been supplying components for windows and doors. Today, Kenrick is known for its extensive range of hardware for PVC-U, aluminium and timber window and door systems, which is one of the widest available in the industry. Over the last 25 years, the company has launched a number of hardware products and says it has more new developments in the pipeline.
