Now in its 71st year, James Shaw & Son has evolved rapidly in the last seven years with the father and son team of Stephen and Andrew Shaw. Lucy Radley speaks with Andrew, the third generation, about growth and relying on in-house solutions.SIX YEARS ago, St Helen’s-based James Shaw & Son was a successful small haulier with four trucks. Started by its namesake in 1952 with a single Bedford S Series rigid, the business was handed on to son Stephen Shaw in the mid-70s. By 2016 it was ticking over nicely at the same size it had been for many years.
Today, however, things are rather different, not least because Shaw’s now boasts a fleet of 37 Scanias, and a clutch of major new customers. This is all down to the fact that Stephen Shaw and his son Andrew (the third generation), now work together making the perfect father and son team.
Unlike his father, Stephen, who left school at 16 and immediately started work in the yard, Andrew Shaw steered away from transport to start with. He went into banking initially, after his dad advised him against the long hours and hard work for little gain that came with running trucks. But come 2016 Andrew had a change of heart, knowing that the firm would quietly fizzle away come Stephen’s retirement, unless he carried it on.
