It’s less than six months since national window cleaning company Your Local expanded into the North East. In that time over 30 jobs have been created with plans to grow the headcount to 50 by the end of the year.
EDB editor Leanne Fawcett headed to the firm’s offices in Peterlee to meet the four directors who are managing the regional roll-out…
Your Local, the national window cleaning company, was founded just three years ago by fourth generation window cleaner and prominent Yorkshire businessman Thornton Tasker.
He wanted to utilise his vast experience in the market to create a company that is embedded at the heart of communities up and down the country, providing quality services to the residential and commercial markets and creating local jobs for local people. Today, Your Local has a presence in 14 areas around the country and is now firmly established in the North East.
Led by four regional directors, who are managing growth in Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham and on Teesside, the company has already built a team of over 30 window cleaners, field sales executives and administrators.
To support the growth, they recently moved into offices on the South West Industrial Estate in Peterlee, which for now is an informal base for the whole team until suitable premises are found in each area.
Kev Rich, who manages the County Durham area, has a wealth of experience working for some of the most recognised brands, including Coca Cola, the National Lottery and Barclays Bank.
He said: “Our growth over the last few months has been significant and we’re now ahead of where I’d hoped we’d be in terms of recruitment, sales, and turnover.
“That’s down to the people I’ve brought into my team. The sales guys have been fantastic which has been a real bonus as finding good canvassers isn’t always easy.
“My aim now is to continue to grow with the right people alongside me, and I’ll certainly be bringing more staff in over the coming months as we continue to raise the profile of the Your Local brand.”
YourLocal.com was founded by Thornton Tasker in 2021, but can trace its roots back to 1919, when the entrepreneur’s great grandfather started a window cleaning company in Otley in Yorkshire. His grandfather, father, Thornton, and his brother Austin all followed in his footsteps, and today the business employs over 200 people across the country.
The ethos of the company is to recruit locally in each area and support community initiatives and grass roots sports teams wherever possible.
Residential property businessman Joe Dolan is originally from Ireland and relocated to the North East from London to join Your Local. He said: “I was keen to get out of London and was looking for an opportunity to join a growing company that I could put my stamp on. Your Local fit the bill.
“Although I started a month after the other directors, growth in Sunderland has been steady and I am in the process of expanding my team with one new window cleaner per month, ongoing.”
Teesside Director Paul Fawcett joined the business after 20 years in the retail and car parking industries. Having started with one cleaner and one field sales executive, he now has a team of eight, with regular recruitment on the cards including an administrator.
Paul said: “Teesside is such a vast area and while we’ve made great inroads growing the brand, there are still large parts that we’re yet to target. That’s why recruiting the right people and finding suitable premises are my main objectives, allowing me to build our residential customer portfolio and secure more clients in the industrial and commercial sectors, which Teesside is renowned for.”
Your Local offers a range of services including window, gutter and conservatory cleans and graffiti removal. It operates a cashless system using secure payment platforms and uses eco-friendly products for cleaning.
Chris Burton, who worked in the construction industry for a number of years, is the regional director for Newcastle. He added: “It’s always a challenge expanding into a new area, however the response we’ve had has been very positive. I’m sure that if I can recruit the right people over the coming weeks, we’ll be where I’d hoped we be at the end of the year.”
Your Local has its head offices in Leeds with a presence in areas including Wigan, Bolton, Leeds, Harrogate, Oxford, Manchester, and Warrington, as well as the North East.
Speaking about his vision to grow Your Local nationally, Thornton Tasker said: “I have huge ambitions for the business. I want to have a presence in 20 areas by the end of the year, growing to 50 by the end of 2025, and to double the number of people we employ. These are significant projections, however, with the right people supporting us on that journey, we will do it.
“Growth in the North East in a relatively short space of time has proved that our model does work, and this is an exciting time to be part of the Your Local family.”
