Business Hour

Sarah Varley talks to Andrew Dickinson of Bernard Dickinson about his business journey, what drives him and his love of great music. Photography: Paul Currie

Andrew Dickinson grew up being very involved in the family business, as he explains: “From a very young age I was putting plugs on music systems and helping dad deliver TVs in beautiful cabinets. We started out as an electrical shop selling everything from kettles and lightbulbs to radiograms. We even tested every bulb before selling it, which shows the level of service and care ingrained in me!”

“Our home was always filled with music and as the business developed into providing reproduction furniture housing the finest sound systems you could buy, this was the catalyst for my love of sound and ultimately the journey travelled so far.”

“I’m passionate about great music, we always have ‘proper’ music on at home and I get to live concerts whenever I can. From the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Lowry and playing music that takes me back to a great Springsteen or Genesis concert, or the Diana Ross concert I saved for months for as a teenager, is what music enjoyment is all about for me.”

“Listening properly to music is a sensory experience. We do big sound with TV and film but seem to be losing music to tiny, transistor radio-type speakers. It frustrates me that so many people are only listening to compressed music at the moment – just their phone connected to a small speaker loses so much. They are missing all the depth and clarity of music that you only get from a proper pair of speakers that are accurately delivering all frequencies.”

“Turn the sound off on any film and the movie is void of emotion and meaning. You watch a favourite film a handful of times but a great album or epic piece of music is listened to for life – invest in it and have at least one sacred place in the home where it creates goose-bumps involuntarily!”

“Music makes you feel well, it enhances positive thoughts and feelings. It makes you feel good – it has the power to transport you and uplift you, so make sure you have this as part of your home life. I see my business as a solution centre. We all have differing aspirations, décor and budget – my role is to bring out the best in the environment in which we live.”

“Working in some of the most beautiful homes I am privileged to be allowed to create spaces of pure excitement. This is undeniably a fantastic part of my job, when we are free to provide the correct equipment for that particular room and allowed to excel in what we do – making homes live.”

“Day to day is always very busy, travelling all over the North West working on very different projects. This week we are in Tarporley providing shading and lighting solutions for a gorgeous old farmhouse, Liverpool to work with someone building their dream home and Windermere to provide a wireless speaker system at Storrs Hall, one of the most beautiful hotels in the county. It’s really exciting to work with plans and follow a build all the way through, integrating fantastic technology that really enhances a home in so many ways.”

“We are seeing more and more requests from interior designers, architects and specifiers to provide frighteningly cool solutions to control, automate and illuminate beautiful living spaces. I find this to be a hugely exciting growth area for the future, with so many striking options and finishes to choose from. It’s very satisfying to provide great design solutions as well as the best technology.”

“We work with the whole breadth of technology, make and design so there’s just no excuse any more not to have proper music in your life. I love that my work involves challenging the senses of sound and vision, and in fact the David Bowie song Sound & Vision is one I often play in the showroom to demonstrate how fantastic music can, and should, sound for you. I am totally passionate about what we do and being the very best in our field. I love it when people discover what sound can be like, when they let us take them back to that ultimate concert experience!”

www.bernarddickinson.co.uk

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