Turnover at Willshee’s Waste & Recycling has hit £35 million – just as the company celebrates its 40th anniversary.
The firm, headquartered in Burton upon Trent, had previously set a target of hitting £30 million by 2023 and the latest figures show it is continuing its trajectory of 20 per cent year-on-year growth for the 10th consecutive year.
Managing Director Dean Willshee said: “Willshee’s Waste & Recycling has reached a turnover of £35million, having previously set a target of hitting £30million by 2023.
“This achievement is especially significant as the business celebrates its 40th anniversary this month and also reflects a sustained 20 per cent year-on-year growth since 2014.
“Now we want to continue with our trajectory of 20 per cent year-on-year growth. While we are ambitious to grow organically, we are also looking to gain increased market share.
“The recent launch of our national brokering service will play a key part in this as we expand our offer across the UK.
“Opportunities are also coming from stricter legislation which means more organisations need a professional service – with compliant, transparent auditing. And then there is also the rise in demand for refuse derived fuel and solid recovered fuel as an alternative to fossil fuels – and our Swadlincote site has a huge capacity for this.”
Willshee’s was started by Keith and Maria Willshee on 12 March 1984 with one vehicle and 10 skips. Today, the company handles 300,000 tonnes of waste per year, owns a fleet of over 50 vehicles and employs 150 staff. Customers include many national retailers and manufacturers including Hobbycraft, Creative Foods, McDonald’s and housebuilder TopHat.
Business highlights include the commissioning and opening of a £10 million state-of-the-art materials recycling facility in Swadlincote, in Derbyshire; being listed by the London Stock Exchange as one of the top 1000 companies to inspire Britain; receiving recognition as a Top 200 UK women-powered business by global private bank J. P. Morgan and being named the 2023 Business of the Year at the Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce Business Awards.
Dean, one of the second generation of Willshee’s alongside Group Engineering Manager Craig and Director Jenna, said: “We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved as a business and as a family. My parents did not know back in 1984 that the sector would become so significant but we are all very glad that they took the plunge and launched the company.
“The environmental agenda has helped us but I think that we all believe that everyone involved in the business has helped to grasp the opportunities put in front of us, to be innovative, and to work really, really hard!”
