Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
Family shareholders of Lawsons Group have transferred 51% of Lawsons Holdings Limited into an independent ethical trust, as a gift with no cash consideration.
The gift has been made by chairman John Lawson, 93, who has led the business for 70 years and who previously held a 50% shareholding.
Founded by a Quaker family in 1921, by returning his ownership to an independent ethical trust, Lawson has given up completely any personal financial gain to ensure Lawson’s founding values can never be diluted, sold, or overridden.
The trust will be overseen by five trustees: John Lawson, Simon Lawson, Andrew Henshaw, Ciaran Morton and Chris Harrison. Their role is to ensure the principles set out in the trust are upheld over time.
Lawson comments: “For more than a century, Lawsons has been built on doing things properly, treating people fairly, and supporting our communities. My question has always been what happens to those values when I’m no longer running the company? This structure answers that, it protects them in law, permanently. I’ve never wanted to sell the business or pursue short term gain. What matters is that Lawsons stays true to its principles and values for the next 100 years”.
