The company, headquartered in Bradford, Yorkshire, has been in continuous operation since 1850 and has ten branches nationwide.
It has put customer service at the heart of its 100 year celebrations with the launch of a state-of-the-art webstore offering a click-and-collect service for over 30,000 products, including more than 100 brands of pneumatic, compressed air, vacuum and fluid handling components.
Thorite’s managing director, Stephen Wright, said the company’s strong focus on customer service and aftermarket support was central to its successful trading history and would help drive its plans to achieve £10 million growth over the next five years.
He added: “We worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to ensure our customers received the products and support they required.
“That experience gave us valuable insight into the ways customers interact with the company and inspired us to develop a webstore which is easier, faster and more intuitive.”
Thorite’s robust response to the lockdowns meant it maintained sales figures at pre-Covid levels.
Stephen Wright added: “Thorite’s resilience and responsiveness has helped the company reach its milestone 100 years of incorporation and complete more than 170 years of successful operations.
“I’m confident that this and our customer-focused approach will help us achieve our five-year growth plan.”
Founded in Bradford, Thorite, then known as Thomas Wright, started as a Mill Furnisher, supplying various essential accessories to the thriving textile trade. During this period, Thomas Wright was a one-man operation supplying enterprises such as Listers, Salts, Illingworth Morris, and others. Over the years Thorite diversified until it developed a huge advantage over competitors by providing a complete compressed air service through the sale of air compressors and components, together with a service department and installation division.
