Clayton tannery changes

Published: 15 July, 2005

Joseph Clayton & Sons in Chesterfield are one of the last remaining pit-tanners in the UK, established in 1860, industrial leathers and equestrian products have been the mainstay of the business. After over 40 years of service to the company Barrie Birkin retires at the end of June. Along with his brother Roger who retired last September, the Birkins have brought the company from their father's day to be the bespoke and speciality tanners of heavy leather seen today.

Taking up the challenge of the future, the management team going forward are Barry Knight, Sales Manager, 21 years with the company, Technical Manager Matthew Abbott and in-coming General Manager John Avery. Avery (29 years in the industry) has held a number of senior Managerial and technical roles during career to-date, including BLC Leather Technology Centre, Pittards plc, Holmes Halls Tanners Ltd and KVL in the Netherlands.

'It is very much business as usual', Avery said, 'still making our time honoured leathers for our time-honoured key clients is our jumping-off point. We aim to develop new products in tandem with this and exploit new markets too. The nature of our small company gives us a distinct advantage in terms of flexibility. The team chemistry is good and we are looking forward to the future with great anticipation.'

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