JT Atkinson

About JT Atkinson

JT Atkinson has been trusted by the trades since we started out in 1860. Now with 37 branches across Cumbria, Yorkshire and the North East we supply our local trades and communities with everything from building supplies, plumbing & heating and timber to flood protection, drainage and roofing.

We’re still family-run and independent to this day and with over 160 years experience we pride ourselves on our exceptional level of personal service and product expertise. From small beginnings we are now a team of 500 people from Ulverston to Sunderland and Cockermouth to Scarborough and across key support roles in our Middlesbrough Support Centre.

We pride ourselves on our traditional approach to doing business; one built on building strong relationships. We may think big but we still act small. Each of our branches keep close to the requirements of their local trades and are helped along by our Support Centre in Middlesbrough.

By being independent and building lifelong relationships with customers and suppliers, we’re able to adapt to our customers’ needs easily and we’re large enough that you can rely on a huge range of products, in stock and at great prices. Customers benefit from the local knowledge and expertise of our branch teams which is why we’re consistently rated ‘Excellent’ for our service.

Company culture

Our 164 year success story is down to our exceptional service from our passionate team members and we support our people throughout their career. 1 in 10 of our staff have been working with us for over 20 years and many of our leadership team started on the shop floor, working in the yard or on an apprenticeship scheme.

Family-owned and family-run since 1860 we strive for family values in our work too. We support each other and we put the customer first. That’s how we earn our 5 star reviews and make lifelong customers as well as making the list of 1000 UK companies that inspire in 2018 and 2020.

We are always looking for talented, hardworking, team orientated people to fill a variety of exciting roles as we continue to grow. We take care of our customers and our employees and we value honesty, integrity and a passion for helping customers.

We foster a culture of learning, inclusiveness, working hard and building strong relationships with our colleagues. Whilst there’s no limit to the training to help you succeed in your role, we currently offer 175 different training modules available to employees.

We also like to retain our talented people and promote from within the business. 13% of employees received a promotion in the last 12 months alone. We also believe in sharing in our success which is why we offer a profit share scheme which is available to all our colleagues.

Employee benefits and perks

Bi-annual profit share
Pension scheme
Training opportunities
Enhanced sick pay
Charitable volunteer days
Great job security
Company social events
Staff discount
Life assurance scheme
Buy & sell holidays
Enhanced family leave
Long service awards

Career development and growth

We think of JT Atkinson as not just a job but a career. We value continued learning and development and assist our colleagues in their personal and professional development throughout their career. As a result we have skilled
managers, product experts and customer champions who all help contribute to the future success of the company and to ensure JT Atkinson will be around for another 160 years.

We provide a mentorship scheme, apprenticeships for all career levels, practical skills training and product knowledge training as well as a leadership development 18 month course.

We don’t just focus on skills and product knowledge either, we look at employee well-being, resilience, leadership skills and differently personalities and styles of working. In the last 18 months 52% of our vacancies have been filled internally and of those 45% were promotions.

We have a strong track record of growing our own talent and this is reflected in our average tenure of nearly 15 years service. These growth opportunities at work mean our colleagues are stay within our company and build deeper relationships with our suppliers and customers.

EDI (equity, diversity & inclusion) initiatives

JT Atkinson is fully committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society and our customers, and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. The organisation – in providing goods and/or services and/or facilities – is also committed against unlawful discrimination of customers or the public.

Sustainability / environmental stewardship

Here at JT Atkinson we strive to be the best at what we do, serving the associated trades with tried and tested products from our trusted suppliers. This is all supported by our branch network, website and fleet of delivery vehicles which is operated by our knowledgeable, friendly and helpful team members.

We’re acutely aware of our carbon footprint, generated through normal business operations, and are striving throughout the business to reduce our energy usage, reduce our waste, recycle more and offset our carbon footprint wherever possible.