Business Hour
James Alpe has always looked for new opportunities, here he tells Gail Bailey about his journey, creating an award-winning business. Photography: Kirsten Platt
James Alpe grew up on a farm on the Duchy of Lancaster estate, and although he loved farming always had a passion for cars. When he left school, he completed an apprenticeship as a motor mechanic at Primrose Garage in Clitheroe, whilst still working hard on the family farm. One of four brothers, they began to diversify and James’ father bought a butcher’s shop to create more work for the boys, however James decided this was not for him. His interest in the motor trade was always there, and when he left Primrose Garage at 21 he started his first business repairing cars from home on the farm.
“The estate manager at the time was also an avid car fan and was so supportive of me running the business from the farm. But when one day he joked that there were more cars on site than sheep I decided maybe it was time to move to different premises!” James explains. He acquired land at Salthill and still runs the business from the original plot.
“We began by building a body-shop and specialised in accident and repair work with NFU becoming one of our key insurance contracts,” James says. The company also always offered servicing and MOTs but with a philosophy of not having ‘too many eggs in one basket’ a second arm to the business was added and they began vehicle conversion work: “Our conversion work saw us transforming cars and vans into specialist vehicles and we initially worked with the electricity and water boards, and have progressed to doing a lot of specialist work for the police.”
Everything at James Alpe’s has a focus on quality and this has been the foundation of the business’s success and something that has been recognised by many top car manufacturers: “We are manufacturer approved repairers for both prestige and mainstream vehicles including Land Rover, Jaguar, Mercedes, BMW, Honda, plus a further 12 other marques. We have worked hard to ensure we have the trust of the manufacturer, the customer and the insurance companies, who always aim to send cars for repair to approved body shops. We invest a lot in training and technology and as vehicles become more complicated, more and more insurance companies will insist on using repairers with a specific skill-set,” adds James.
Those specialist skills are key to the success of the business and led to having developed a reputation as one of the country’s leading vehicle conversion specialists. Alpes now carry out work for police forces, ambulance trusts, the MOD, HM Prison Service, schools, local councils and many private sector organisations: “We are proud of the work we do and have developed one of only two police cell vans in the UK that is ‘crash tested’,” says James.
Other services from James Alpe include car and van hire, sign and vehicle graphics, car care and used car sales. However the achievements don’t end there and the company have also successfully completed construction projects building five barn conversions.
In 2015 the company acquired further land near their premises at Salthill and built a new industrial area comprising of 47 units. The vast majority of which have been sold or let and with the project near completion, there are only a few remaining.
“One of the best pieces of advice I have ever been given was quite recently,” explains James. “That was to have more of a non-operational role and to focus on actual business planning – doing this has now meant we employ over 100 people and are continually evolving and moving forward.”
This is particularly true with the latest project – converting and developing high end motorhomes. This exciting new motorhome venture, which combines a fantastic driving experience with luxurious accommodation, is the next phase for James Alpe. The whole company are rightly proud of their achievements within the motor sector and beyond.
“Our customers can have confidence in our ability to convert vehicles to the highest specifications,” said James.
Despite all his business success James remains a part time farmer – and at his home he still finds time to be the proud owner of 100 breeding sheep!
James Alpe Ltd
Lincoln Way, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 1QD
01200 444455
info@jamesalpe.co.uk
jamesalpe.co.uk
