Coastal Group

Who is Coastal Group?

Coastal Group is a successful manufacturer and distributor, selling specialist ironmongery to door and window manufacturers throughout the UK, Ireland, and beyond. The company boasts three sites in St Austell, Cornwall, plus an office in India, and employs more than 55 people.

However, as founder and Chair Anthony Jenner explains, building this family business took determination, strong principles and a series of bold decisions.

If the hardware on your door or windows comes with a lifetime guarantee, there’s a good chance it was made by St Austell-based Coastal Group. The company’s BLU® range is constructed from 316 marine-grade stainless steel in a range of finishes. This makes it a popular choice in coastal and other extreme environments.

The group also manufactures hardwearing ironmongery and innovative home ventilation units. Therefore, thousands of premises nationwide use Coastal’s products.

It’s a truly outstanding feat for a family business that began as recently as 2003 in the loft space over a friend’s office.

Speaking with Anthony, we find out what contributes to the growth and success of Coastal Group over the last 21 years.

Confidence unlocks success

Anthony began his career as a joiner, gaining practical, sales, and project management experience in West London’s building trade.

“My first job involved refurbishing The Ritz hotel,” he recalls. “That was a memorable experience; hopping on the underground every day with my tool bag.”

However, a growing family brought a change of perspective. It led to the first of a series of principled, confident decisions that would shape the family’s future.

Anthony decided to start a business for his children and move out of London. He relocated to Cornwall, where both his and his wife’s parents lived.

The bold decision was rewarded. Cornwall’s coastal environment, coupled with Anthony’s joinery knowledge, inspired the innovation that would transform his business.

“There was a lack of quality hardware that didn’t rust in the salty Cornish air,” he explains. “So, we decided to develop our own. For the first time, we could offer a lifetime guarantee.”

Throughout, the instinct to create remained a cornerstone of the firm’s success.

“Research and development is expensive,” Anthony explains. “But you have to do it if you want to stand out in the market. We have a lot of competition trying to copy us, so we work hard to stay two years ahead.”

Breaking through the growth ceiling

Although, success brought challenges of its own. Coastal’s software systems were pushed to their limits, new kinds of support and expertise were needed and response times from the company’s accountant started to slow as the workload increased. For the growth journey to continue, more decisions were required.

“Our accountant was great when we started,” Anthony says. “But as we grew, the throughput from our business became too much for them. We also needed more specialist advice. So we parted ways on friendly terms and looked for a bigger firm.”

In 2015, Coastal decided to move to a new accountancy firm. Recommended by the company’s bank, PKF Francis Clark stood out, as Anthony was drawn to our clear, honest approach – as well as the breadth of our specialist support. It was to prove the start of a long and fruitful relationship.

“PKF Francis Clark came up trumps,” he recalls. “They were definite about their focus; they could clearly see where they could help. We could see they’d be happy to challenge us in a firm but friendly way. They were balanced, professional and compassionate.”

As well as streamlining import and employment arrangements, we’ve worked together to integrate new, enterprise-level management software and secured significant reliefs from HRMC for the group’s all-important R&D work.

Anthony sees this as a vital step change in the way the company works. “We thought: ‘we’ve got to do something a bit different.’ Changing systems is a challenge but you need to do it sooner or later, and the bigger you get, the tougher it’ll be.”

In the last few years, the focus has moved towards succession. A new group structure will make it easier for the family to maximise the value from their business – with Loren and Wayne taking the reins and Anthony using his experience in an advisory role.

“I’ve been teaching them to delegate, which was a difficult lesson for me to learn,” he smiles. “But without it, you don’t get anywhere. So we’ve brought in good managers and created a very horizontal structure. It has given me the chance to back off and see how well my sons play the game.”