Time and tide in the affairs of Suttons

May 10 2008 by Peter Elson, Liverpool Daily Post

Moving from one horse-power to 100,000hp in 80 years, St Helens’ famous Suttons Group now stretches across the globe. Peter Elson reports

THERE cannot be many businessmen who started in a coal-bagging and horse-drawn delivery business and ended up trusted with transporting Annigoni’s portrait of the Queen.

Larger than life, Alf Sutton was the archetypal Lancashire businessman who was such a legend in the haulage business that the young Edward Stobart was brought by his father from Carlisle to St Helens to meet the great man.

Apparently, Alf painted a gloomy picture of the British road distribution business to Eddie Stobart. But Eddie liked what he saw, further confirmed when he espied the boss’s E-Type Jaguar outside the office. This was the man, after all, who during a strike in the 1970s had driven not one, but two of his personal Rolls-Royce cars across the picket line.

When young, Alf had punched his colliery foreman boss during a row when he was collecting coal. Years later, Alf bought the colliery and it became headquarters of what is now the international carrier Suttons Group.

Many readers will recognise Suttons’ distinctive complex at the junction of the St Helens Linkway and Elton Head Road. Its clocktower is decorated with a quotation from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar “There is a tide in the affairs of men”.

More poignantly there is also “Time and tide waiteth for no man”, a prophetic 14th century proverb, chosen by Alf to prod any slackers.

Countless motorists have mused on this truth – while queuing for the adjacent roundabout. It also inspires the title of a new book about the famous St Helens’ haulier.

Time & Tide, the History of the Suttons Group, written by Philip Jordan, from Cheshire, traces the firm from 1907 to its present position in the top 30 UK transport companies. It is also one of our largest privately-owned family concerns.

In 80 years, Alf’s company has gone from one horse-power delivering coal in a five- mile radius, to more than 100,000 horse-power transporting all kinds of products across the globe.

By the mid-1920s, having bought his family out in 1923 and among other loads, Alf was transporting sandstone to Liverpool to build the Anglican cathedral.

Work for the budding chemical, glass and paper businesses was expanding rapidly in the North West. His reputation for hardness was countered by fairness, and the company developed until nationalised in 1948. He later bought it back with the help of Pilkingtons Glass.

Author Philip Jordan says: “Alf’s expansion was rapid as he applied for and won new licences, mainly on the back of competitive rates which he was able to sustain due to his initiatives in vehicle and load design.”

Alf’s son Michael Sutton, 59, now chairman of Suttons Group, took over as managing director in 1978. His father’s death in 1987 did not impede the company’s expansion.

Philip says: “Alf’s extremely close relationship with Michael resulted in a change in management style. The company is moving forward again with an emphasis on international trade.

“My father was a friend of Alf’s and I used to think that Michael was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. By interviewing him for this book I found that this is far from the case.

“From the age of 20, Alf put Michael through every area of the business, from welding to marketing. Michael had a very tough time, but knows every part of the business.”

Michael says: “I asked Philip to be as candid as possible as this is a human story, with joyous moments and traumas. It is the triumph of human endeavour and perseverance, a history of the company as well as a smattering of the transport sector’s history.”