Published by Blakes for more
than a quarter of a century
than a quarter of a century
Thorns Group Plc
'Thorns Group - your single source supplier'
Business is booming for Thorns Group as it successfully builds on its market-leading position in the UK's events, exhibitions and conference sectors.
The award-winning group has established a reputation as a leading supplier of services and equipment, whether providing stylish glassware and china to massive banquets, the latest ranges of furniture to top sporting fixtures or futuristic lighting and plasma screens to high-profile trade exhibitions.
The group's recent advances have led to a succession of top honours, including repeated listings in the prestigious Inner City 100 index, which recognises the UK's fastest-growing inner city businesses. It was also a winner at the event industry's international "Oscars" hosted in the United States and has even secured two separate entries in Guinness World Records.
Thorns Group's origins date back more than half a century to its creation as a small-scale catering equipment supplier in north London. Over the years the business has grown into a highly regarded single source supplier, thanks to strong customer loyalty, impressive organic growth and a series of important acquisitions.
It now operates through four separate divisions housed in state-of-the-art premises in Tottenham, backed up by offices in Manchester and Birmingham. In total, the group offers more than a million items of furniture and catering equipment, including tables, chairs, china, cutlery, silverware, glassware, bars and linen. It also provides designer floral arrangements, carpeting, exhibition shell schemes, lighting and power distribution services as well as bespoke furnishings that can be supplied to match any colour scheme or corporate image.
As Thorns Group's Managing Director Graham Langley-Jones explains: "We've been absolutely delighted by the group's expansion in recent years. Our successes have been achieved thanks to the high-quality stock we offer and the tremendous skill of the Thorns Group team. In addition we have never forgotten the importance of offering total customer satisfaction."
The group's four divisions are Thorns Furniture and Catering Hire, Camden Exhibition Services, Camden Special Events and Classic Technical Services.
Thorns Furniture and Catering Hire maintains its tradition for providing services for corporate hospitality and a wide range of functions - no matter how large or small - from banquets catering for thousands to small-scale weddings and private parties.
Camden Exhibition Services was formed specifically to extend the services offered by Camden Furniture Hire, a London-based business taken over by Thorns Group. Camden Exhibition Services offers a complete portfolio of products for the exhibitions market including furniture, floral services, plasma screen hire, electrical services, shell schemes, specialist lighting and floor coverings.
The group's third division, Camden Special Events, was formed to handle the major event projects that Camden Furniture Hire supplied - offering bespoke furnishings for clients in corporate hospitality chalets. The team is on hand to assist hard-pressed event organisers by co-ordinating a wide range of event support services in a bid to ease the burden of staging high-profile functions.
Finally, Thorns Group's Classic Technical Services division offers clients an exciting range of exclusive lighting, power and visual effects to brighten up any event, from corporate hospitality to major exhibitions and festive parties.
The group's four operations recently strengthened their market position by coming together in a centralised headquarters in London. The new facilities, which cover 100,000 square feet, boast a range of modern features including stylish reception area, ground-floor showroom, temperature-controlled warehousing, enlarged office space, state-of-the-art dishwashing and furniture cleaning facilities, as well as an eco-friendly paint shop.
As Graham Langley-Jones says: "Bringing all our operations together has not only enabled us to further streamline our activities but ultimately means our customers receive an even faster and more efficient service than they had already come to expect from Thorns Group."
The business's success has also been boosted by its exciting philosophy of being a single source supplier, prompting the leading names in sport and entertainment hospitality to call on the group for the really big events.
From Earls Court, Olympia, ExCeL and The Commonwealth Conference and Events Centre in London to the NEC and International Convention Centre in Birmingham and the Manchester Evening News Arena, Thorns Group is a key supplier.
The group has also been responsible for providing furniture and catering equipment to many of the UK's major sporting events including the British F1 Grand Prix, Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships, the Stella Artois Tennis Championships at Queens Club, The Grand National at Aintree, Cheltenham National Hunt Festival, Six Nations Rugby, international cricket and football matches and Henley Royal Regatta.
It has supplied furniture and catering equipment to high-profile events such as the Brit Awards and record-breaking banquets for mobile phone giant Vodafone, for which Thorns has twice been recognised by Guinness World Records for supplying to the world's largest-ever silver-service meal. The second of the two events involved the group supplying equipment for no fewer than 11,500 visitors to Earls Court Arena.
Thorns Group's recent award successes have added to an exciting period for the business. The listings in the Inner City 100 index have recognised the group as one of the United Kingdom's "most dynamic and successful" businesses. They came after Thorns Group was officially declared one of the fastest-growing businesses in Britain's most deprived inner city areas.
In addition, the group has been presented with the prestigious Capital Award in recognition of its contribution to the local community and for employing the highest number of people within a one-mile radius of its base.
Meanwhile Thorns Group's success in the United States came at the international event industry's "Oscars" held in Orlando, Florida. The breakthrough - for Best Achievement in Event Rental Support - saw the group receive a trophy at the Gala Awards Ceremony staged during "The Special Event".
As Graham Langley-Jones explains: "With a highly skilled and dedicated team - backed up by great equipment and facilities - we have developed Thorns Group to meet the demands of the 21st century, providing the ultimate single source supplier for the events, exhibitions and conference markets."
The award-winning group has established a reputation as a leading supplier of services and equipment, whether providing stylish glassware and china to massive banquets, the latest ranges of furniture to top sporting fixtures or futuristic lighting and plasma screens to high-profile trade exhibitions.
The group's recent advances have led to a succession of top honours, including repeated listings in the prestigious Inner City 100 index, which recognises the UK's fastest-growing inner city businesses. It was also a winner at the event industry's international "Oscars" hosted in the United States and has even secured two separate entries in Guinness World Records.
Thorns Group's origins date back more than half a century to its creation as a small-scale catering equipment supplier in north London. Over the years the business has grown into a highly regarded single source supplier, thanks to strong customer loyalty, impressive organic growth and a series of important acquisitions.
It now operates through four separate divisions housed in state-of-the-art premises in Tottenham, backed up by offices in Manchester and Birmingham. In total, the group offers more than a million items of furniture and catering equipment, including tables, chairs, china, cutlery, silverware, glassware, bars and linen. It also provides designer floral arrangements, carpeting, exhibition shell schemes, lighting and power distribution services as well as bespoke furnishings that can be supplied to match any colour scheme or corporate image.
As Thorns Group's Managing Director Graham Langley-Jones explains: "We've been absolutely delighted by the group's expansion in recent years. Our successes have been achieved thanks to the high-quality stock we offer and the tremendous skill of the Thorns Group team. In addition we have never forgotten the importance of offering total customer satisfaction."
The group's four divisions are Thorns Furniture and Catering Hire, Camden Exhibition Services, Camden Special Events and Classic Technical Services.
Thorns Furniture and Catering Hire maintains its tradition for providing services for corporate hospitality and a wide range of functions - no matter how large or small - from banquets catering for thousands to small-scale weddings and private parties.
Camden Exhibition Services was formed specifically to extend the services offered by Camden Furniture Hire, a London-based business taken over by Thorns Group. Camden Exhibition Services offers a complete portfolio of products for the exhibitions market including furniture, floral services, plasma screen hire, electrical services, shell schemes, specialist lighting and floor coverings.
The group's third division, Camden Special Events, was formed to handle the major event projects that Camden Furniture Hire supplied - offering bespoke furnishings for clients in corporate hospitality chalets. The team is on hand to assist hard-pressed event organisers by co-ordinating a wide range of event support services in a bid to ease the burden of staging high-profile functions.
Finally, Thorns Group's Classic Technical Services division offers clients an exciting range of exclusive lighting, power and visual effects to brighten up any event, from corporate hospitality to major exhibitions and festive parties.
The group's four operations recently strengthened their market position by coming together in a centralised headquarters in London. The new facilities, which cover 100,000 square feet, boast a range of modern features including stylish reception area, ground-floor showroom, temperature-controlled warehousing, enlarged office space, state-of-the-art dishwashing and furniture cleaning facilities, as well as an eco-friendly paint shop.
As Graham Langley-Jones says: "Bringing all our operations together has not only enabled us to further streamline our activities but ultimately means our customers receive an even faster and more efficient service than they had already come to expect from Thorns Group."
The business's success has also been boosted by its exciting philosophy of being a single source supplier, prompting the leading names in sport and entertainment hospitality to call on the group for the really big events.
From Earls Court, Olympia, ExCeL and The Commonwealth Conference and Events Centre in London to the NEC and International Convention Centre in Birmingham and the Manchester Evening News Arena, Thorns Group is a key supplier.
The group has also been responsible for providing furniture and catering equipment to many of the UK's major sporting events including the British F1 Grand Prix, Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships, the Stella Artois Tennis Championships at Queens Club, The Grand National at Aintree, Cheltenham National Hunt Festival, Six Nations Rugby, international cricket and football matches and Henley Royal Regatta.
It has supplied furniture and catering equipment to high-profile events such as the Brit Awards and record-breaking banquets for mobile phone giant Vodafone, for which Thorns has twice been recognised by Guinness World Records for supplying to the world's largest-ever silver-service meal. The second of the two events involved the group supplying equipment for no fewer than 11,500 visitors to Earls Court Arena.
Thorns Group's recent award successes have added to an exciting period for the business. The listings in the Inner City 100 index have recognised the group as one of the United Kingdom's "most dynamic and successful" businesses. They came after Thorns Group was officially declared one of the fastest-growing businesses in Britain's most deprived inner city areas.
In addition, the group has been presented with the prestigious Capital Award in recognition of its contribution to the local community and for employing the highest number of people within a one-mile radius of its base.
Meanwhile Thorns Group's success in the United States came at the international event industry's "Oscars" held in Orlando, Florida. The breakthrough - for Best Achievement in Event Rental Support - saw the group receive a trophy at the Gala Awards Ceremony staged during "The Special Event".
As Graham Langley-Jones explains: "With a highly skilled and dedicated team - backed up by great equipment and facilities - we have developed Thorns Group to meet the demands of the 21st century, providing the ultimate single source supplier for the events, exhibitions and conference markets."
Peter Anderson, Marketing Consultant, Thorns Group
Copyright © 2005 Blake.