Timpson Locations Near You

Timpson is a mainstay of the British high street, having been around for more than a century. However, they have moved with the times. Some surprising facts include:

1. They have a unique approach to management, eschewing the idea of a "head office" and allowing branch managers the autonomy to run their own outlets.

2. They promote lifelong employment, encouraging internal promotion and treating their staff well - each year, more than £5 million is paid out in branch bonuses.

3. They have collected over £3 million for charity by offering free services in return for voluntary contributions.

4. They actively employ ex-offenders and run a pre-release programme in numerous prisons.

5. They have won many awards, including holding a position in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For.

They provide a wide variety of services requiring specialist equipment or skills, many of which are not easily found elsewhere on the high street. While dry-cleaning and key-cutting may be more common, custom-made signs and engraving are niche specialities. Shoe repairs are not found in many stores, but with their background in cobbling, this remains an expertise for them. Other repairs they carry out include jewellery, watches, and mobile phones.

Key-cutting is offered in-store, but they also provide a full locksmith service. This is provided by the arm of the operation known as Timpson Locksmiths, also branded with a burgundy-red and white logo.

Snappy Snaps and Max Spielmann provide photo-processing services, both in stand-alone shops and as concessions within supermarkets. Snappy Snaps is run as a franchise, in direct contrast to the traditional company structure.

The business began in 1865, founded by shoemaker William Timpson and his brother-in-law. They later moved into shoe manufacturing and then repairs. The company went from strength to strength and, in 1973, was bought by United Drapery Stores for £28,600,000. However, John Timpson continued to work in a managerial capacity for the business and bought it back in 1983. This marked the beginning of the end for the shoe-retailing arm, which was eventually sold to rival Olivers; the company focused its efforts on shoe repairs and key-cutting only.

In the following years, the business diversified its services into dry-cleaning, engraving, watch repairs, and photo-processing. After buying out the rest of the shareholders in 1993, it went on to acquire many other smaller businesses, including The House Nameplate Company, Johnson Cleaners, Klick, and Max Spielmann.

The company continues to look for opportunities to expand while retaining its private structure and owned stores. Its network is now primarily focused on moving into pods and concessions in supermarkets rather than opening high street shops.