Launched in Hawick by Robert Mitchell in 1875, R Mitchell (Glass) Ltd is hosting a special open day event in celebration at our Currie Road showroom in Galashiels on Thursday April 10th.
Several special offers will be available at the Open Day, including a double chance to win a free front door (worth up to £3000) and the opportunity to get a same day quote for your project – with a discount on the day or pay £150 now and pay the rest in six months.
With it being the school holidays, we’ve also arranged a bouncy castle and face painting for children, whilst a ‘design the door’ competition will give people the chance to win a Family Cinema voucher.
One of Scotland’s oldest glazers, we’re incredibly proud to have a history in providing conservatories, orangeries and double glazed windows and doors going back decades.
Built on a strong customer service focus, these founding principles still run through the business today under the ownership of 4th generation, Lewis Roden.
In addition to the open day, Mitchell Glass is planning to give itself a perfect birthday present with a £75,000 modernisation of our Galashiels showroom shortly due to get underway.
“We’ve come a long way since Robert ran away from home at 14 and honed his glazing skills in Edinburgh,” explained Lewis, who joined the business in 1999.
“He used to ride his bike to installations with the glass on his back – I’m not sure we’d get away with that these days! Mr Mitchell was a big character, who, despite not finishing school went on to have a successful career in politics, so much so that he became a town councillor at the turn of the century and helped secure funding for a critical local bridge and library.
“It stayed under Mitchell ownership until 1947 and came into my family when my great-grandfather James Fisher was asked by the Mitchells to run the business during the war.
“After serving his apprenticeship in Hawick, my grandfather, Bill Fisher, opened premises in Gala Lane Galashiels before converting shops and houses in Market St (into what is now Quins). As well as glazing, they sold paint, tools and wedding gifts before commencing aluminium window manufacture in the basement. The move to our current purpose-built factory in Currie Road took place in 1978.
“My father, Peter Roden, was taken on in 1983 and following my grandfather’s death, he and Bill’s daughter, Susan (my mum), successfully ran the company for twenty-six years before retiring and leaving me at the helm.
“Family is really important to the way we run the company. Our founder made the business all about delivering personalised service and the best possible customer experience and that’s exactly what we’re still about – achieving a Net Promoter Score of 88 and winning 92% of new orders from ‘word of mouth’ and recommendations.”
Mitchell Glass was the first Scottish retailer to join the Conservatory Outlet (CO) network in 2011 and has been one of the organisation’s most consistent performers.
Greg Kane, CEO of Conservatory Outlet, had this to say about our birthday accolade: “A massive happy birthday to Lewis and the team up in Galashiels; it’s a massive achievement to trade for more than 150 years.
“We have been part of the company’s history for nearly 25 years, first under Peter Roden and now his son. It is a fantastic business that excels in customer service, and we can’t wait to help it write the next chapter in its successful history.”
One of the big drivers for Mitchell Glass going forward is to become more sustainable and this has seen it embark on an ambitious recycling programme that covers timber, metals and plastics.
In fact, thanks to the efforts of Architectural Project Manager Kevin Anderson, the company successfully recycled PVCu last year.
Hopefully we get to meet you on Thursday and you can join us in raising a toast to 150 years of Mitchell Glass.
Want to speak with an Advisor? Give us a call on 0800 220 415
Our friendly team will be pleased to help with any questions you may have.