Area focus: Watford Big business, big dreams –this town is a chart-topper

Serving as the base for huge brands including Costco, TK Maxx and Wickes, Watford is something of a heavyweight in the Hertfordshire business world – but it’s a great place for smaller companies too

Right on the capital’s doorstep, Watford is a great place to do business, and is home to head offices for household names including Hilton, Kodak, Ralph Lauren and JD Wetherspoon.

It’s not all about the big businesses, though. Watford has a strong, diverse base of small and medium-sized enterprises too, with key sectors including professional and business services, creative media and IT, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, and hospitality and leisure.

It also stands higher than the national average when it comes to its people who are educated to degree level or above.

The town this year was named the best place to live and work in a ranking of the UK’s 100 largest urban areas – an enviable accolade from the UK Vitality Index, compiled by property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton. Watford’s strong result was driven by its top-ranked performance in the economy and business spheres, as well as health and environment.

The borough boasts prime sites such as the new £25million eco-conscious Watford Business Park, the Croxley Park scheme that hosts 2,400 employees across 60 businesses, and Clarendon Works, a 12-storey office space with state-of-the-art facilities.

The town is well-connected by road, rail and air, with Luton and Heathrow airports both reachable within half an hour and London Euston station only 15 minutes away by train from Watford Junction. The railway station is one of the busiest in the country, with about eight million visitors a year. Watford Borough Council is lobbying for improvements to the station, and also planning to revitalise the southern part of the town centre in an initiative known as the High Street Gateway. Family-run property preservation specialists Dampcure-Woodcure/30 have been based in Watford since the company was founded in 1959 by John Darling, his wife Carole and his father George, experienced builders and property developers.

The business is still based in the town today, under the directorship of John and Carole’s daughter Claire Darling.

Claire said: “I first came to the office as a young child and soon learned the business. I’m now a working director, overseeing the day-to-day running of the business and ensuring customer satisfaction. My parents were actively involved in the business until 2021, when they tragically became victims of COVID-19.

“Working alongside me is my partner Nick Sperrin, who is Director of Operations, as well as a qualified domestic ventilation specialist – advising many housing associations and private clients on condensation issues. My daughter Nellie is in charge of the sales department, giving clients help with enquiries and booking in surveys.

“Our surveyor, technicians and plasterers are all qualified and experienced professionals, with more than 200 years of service with the company between them. Today, we continue to serve many parts of London, Hertfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire – and with the addition of a new office in west Northamptonshire, we now also cover Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes. Protecting the past, securing the future.”

Watford is also home to electrical and mechanical manufacturer Techna, which has been run by the Mestitz family since its founding in 1945. The Mestitz engineering pedigree goes back to the 19th century, when the family produced the first Czech vacuum cleaner. Having emigrated to the UK, Ervin Mestitz founded Techna in 1945. His son Richard took over in 1962, and since the mid-1990s the company has been run by Richard’s son John Mestitz. The company’s clientele now ranges from small start-ups to multinationals.

John said: “The Techna name has, for nearly 80 years, become synonymous with high quality, value for money and exceptional customer service. From our base in Watford, we are positioned to serve a host of markets and industries both in the UK and across the world.

“Our range can be found throughout the electrical, wire and cable, temporary power, transportation, marine, motion control, packaging and power distribution industries, amongst many others. We place great emphasis on quality control and test traceability, with final quality control processes that ensure reliability and confidence are built into the Techna brand.

“Our expansion of facilities in the previous decade allowed us to embark on ambitious plans to further broaden the range of products and services offered by Techna. In 2022 we again acquired additional premises to further expand our UK manufacturing facilities. Whatever your requirements, be sure to talk to Techna.”

Another business based in Watford is All Aboard Charity Shops, which operates 22 busy high street locations across London and Manchester from its head office, warehouse and eBay shop in Colne Way Court. The company sells donations of unwanted items to prevent them going to landfill unnecessarily while supporting good causes.

All Aboard helped 79 charities last year.

All Aboard also creates hubs in high street locations to provide spaces for people to volunteer their time in the community, such as young people learning workplace skills, older people looking to give something back with their spare time, or learners of English looking to improve their competency in the language.

The initiative was founded in north London in 1987 by Stella Lucas MBE along with three friends, Monique Landau, Trudie Reiss and Jeffrey Pinnick, when Stella was already 70 years old. It moved to Watford in 2016, with the Stella Lucas House name formerly used in London was applied to the new Watford headquarters. Stella, who was awarded an MBE in 2003, remained a trustee and director of All Aboard until 2017.

She passed away on 6th January this year at the age of 107.

Charities supported by All Aboard include the Anne Frank Trust, Goods for Good, Herts Inclusive Theatre, Jewish Care and Moorfields Eye Hospital.