T_he
Big
Words: Laura Sefton
Idea
From small beginnings to a business empire, Karl Massey,
Managing Director of Cottrills, talks to Waterfront
about making one small idea into a success story.
T_he award winning interior
veryone loves a gift, and for one
of Cottrills Wilmslow
businessman in the North West, the
business of giving has never been so
rewarding.
Sending out tens of thousands of awards each When you had your idea to transform a small
year to staff honoured for long service or part of the existing business into your own
exceptional achievement, local entrepreneur Karl business to business division, did you expect it
Massey’s pioneering venture Cottrills has grown to be as big as it became?
to become the market leader for the manage- When we bought Cottrills, they had one client
ment and provision of service recognition who used to buy one or two gold watches a
schemes within the UK. month to give to staff who had achieved 25
years service and it seemed easy business to me.
You are part of a dynasty of jewellers. Did you I decided to set up a division to target this
always have an interest in the industry? Was sector and designed a small brochure which I
there ever a time when you wanted to embark began to send out to the HR departments of
on a different career path? major companies. I had no grand vision, it was
Hardly a dynasty! My Grandfather was a just good fun and got me out on the road.
watchmaker who bought the business he worked
at in Alderley Edge in 1952 and my Dad joined You were instrumental in the revamped
him as clockmaker in the 60’s, while my Prestons of Bolton. Do you think it is always
grandmother ran the front of shop. possible for the jewellery industry to move
By the time I joined DJ Massey & Son in 1979 with the times?
it consisted of Dad, my grandmother and a When I bought Prestons in 2005, it was a
watchmaker. By now my Dad had begun to basket case and in 2002 had been re-branded as
successfully buy and sell second hand jewellery Preston and Duckworth. First off we had to
and old gold so it grew into a very different close the business down, selling off all the stock
business. before putting the wheels in motion for a major
When Cottrills went into administration in refurbishment programme. Finally, we
1988, my Dad had the balls to buy it (with a re-branded the store back to its original title,
little encouragement from me) and that Prestons of Bolton.
transformed the business. I had no ambition I believed that by aggressively marketing the
Managing Director, Karl Massey
other than to work for my Dad. store as T_he Diamond Centre of the North and
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