The firm has relocated its depot from the city centre to a 74,000-square-foot warehouse and office complex on the Holbrook Industrial Estate at Halfway, providing state-of-the-art warehousing for its stock of 10 million-plus tiles, served by a fleet of 18 delivery vehicles.

Meanwhile, a larger tile showroom has opened at Stokes' city centre base on Moore Street. The old showroom, which has been open on a different part of the site since 1977, has been vacated.

The move allows Stokes Tiles, a division of RJ Stokes and Co Ltd, to manage the expansion of its wholesale business while remaining in its home city.

"We have outgrown Moore Street and it has been increasingly difficult to operate from a city centre warehouse," says chairman and managing director Robert Stokes.

"We have been looking for the right site for four years and Holbrook is perfectly located, providing easy motorway access to our trade customers throughout the North and Midlands. It also has plenty of car parking and space for future expansion."

The former factory on Rother Valley Way has been extensively altered to provide warehousing for a vast range of stock imported from as far away as China. It also includes a 2,800 sq ft retail showroom catering for a growing customer base from across the region.

"The site covers over eight acres and we have planning consent for an additional 65,000 sq ft of warehousing as our business grows," says Robert. "Our wholesale customers include local authorities, builder's merchants and other retailers from Cumbria and Durham to North Wales and Cambridgeshire."

The firm's expansion has been aided by its decision to invest in high-tech sofware and an online presence, provided by Sheffield-based software and website specialist Richlyn Systems.

Its website, www.stokestiles.co.uk, includes a constantly updated delivery schedule and stock database. Richlyn, which has developed and maintained bespoke software for the company for over 25 years, also provided a computerised stock control, order entry, processing and dispatch system

"Richlyn have worked with ourselves and the other division of the business, Stokes Paints, to move our operations into the 21st Century," says Robert. "We may be a family firm dating back four generations, but it's important to keep at the cutting edge of modern business."

Phase two of the Holbrook development will take place when the company has sold off redundant elements of the Moore Street complex. In the meantime, city centre warehousing will continue on the site.

RJ Stokes's involvement with Moore Street dates back to the 1961 when premises were acquired for what was to become Stokes Paints. Those same premises have now been redeveloped as the tile showroom.

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