Long-standing Northampton business looks forward to celebrating its upcoming 125th anniversary

A long-standing Northampton business looks forward to celebrating its upcoming 125th anniversary next week.

Bell of Northampton, a home and lifestyle store in Kingsthorpe Road, will have been operating for a century and a quarter next Saturday (December 16).

They have continued to provide customers with premium brands to achieve traditional and contemporary styles in their homes.

Lee Ferris, Bell of Northampton’s managing director, first joined the business as a 16-year-old apprentice when he attended a nearby school. He has not looked back since.

After moving between departments over the years and playing a big part in developing the contract department – which saw them secure a million pound contract in Milton Keynes – Lee took the opportunity to become director and then managing director almost five years ago.

“It’s a real honour to be here at this time, celebrating the milestone,” said Lee. “It feels really good and we wanted to celebrate the occasion.”

People from across the business came together to brainstorm how they could mark 125 years.

Lee said: “The theme is community. We wanted it not to be about us but reaching out to the local community.”

Bell of Northampton has since held a logo competition with the University of Northampton, with the winning logo having been designed by a student to celebrate the rich history of the store.

A flag competition was also held with students at Northampton School for Boys, which currently line the outside of the store in Kingsthorpe.

Charity work is close to the hearts of the team and this year has seen them raise more than £10,000 for Cynthia Spencer Hospice and the Hope Centre – across activities like abseiling down the Express Lift Tower, half marathons, and the three peak challenge.

Lee says the business has “changed massively”. When he started as an apprentice, Bell’s was a retail business specialising in kitchens and bathrooms.

Now, a big part of what they do is establish contracts with builders and developers – which makes up a quarter of their turnover.

“10 years ago we began online trading,” said Lee. “There’s been a big change in retail and we embraced online sales and e-commerce. We set up a transactional website that’s grown and grown. That’s 25 percent of our turnover.”

Lee wanted to take the opportunity to thank their loyal customers, as without their support they would not have reached such a milestone.

The managing director says they have seen repeat business, for as long as 20 to 30 years for some customers.

Visitors will often return for advice and are served by the same employee as the time before, enabling relationships to be built.

“We hope to keep doing a good job,” said Lee.

The business’ proudest achievement is the fact it has been managed in a way that has “kept it relevant”.

Lee said: “We operate retail with lovely showrooms, online, and business to business. Pure retail is quite difficult at the moment, relying on one area. We’re a robust multichannel business.”

On the flip side, the biggest challenge to overcome was the pandemic – which Lee says had “massive repercussions for retail and hospitality”.

“What happened was absolutely unprecedented,” he said. “It was an interesting time to manage a business with 50 employees.”

One employee who has dedicated 52 years to the company is Zen Hynda, one of the directors.

As part of the celebrations, an in-store event is taking place from 11am on Saturday, December 16.

A visual timeline of the last 125 years has been created, spanning seven metres long. This will be unveiled by a special guest.

Looking back over the years, advertisements in the Chronicle & Echo newspaper from just before and just after the store opened have been found among archives.

Cynthia Spencer Hospice and the Hope Centre are attending the celebration to be presented with the money the Bell’s team has fundraised this year.

Carol singers will be in attendance and refreshments will be available, with everyone welcome to attend.