Lights company’s star in the ascendancy

CHORLEY-based Festive Lights’ star is shining brightly as it focuses on continued growth.

The company launched in 1999 by husband-and-wife Mark and Margaret Higginson from their home in Charnock Richard is diversifying and turnover from its three divisions is totalling £4.5m.

Festive Lights is now run by sons of the Higginsons, Martin, Mark jnr, and Matthew and son-in-law Stephen Alty.

The four of them are now focused on “turning the ship” – convincing customers the company does not just specialise in Christmas lights.

Their strategy appears to be working as the plan to double the size of Festive Lights’ warehouse in Wigan from 25,000sq ft to 50,000sq ft.

“There was a limit as to how much stock we could house last year because we didn’t have the space,” said Matthew. “But now the shackles are off.”

“It has been like turning a big ship,” said Alty. “The brand name suggests its primarily a Christmas business, but we’re working very hard to fill the void the rest of the year.”

The company has gone into solar, garden and decorative lighting and is targeting markets in the France and Germany.

Some 85% of its business come through online and the rest is business to business, with ITV, the BBC, local authorities, theatres, hotels and even Donald Trump’s golf course in Scotland among its customers.

The company has also supplied products to X Factor, while its DriBox outdoor electrical solution – invented by Mark snr – has been used at the Olympics and in the TV soap Emmerdale.

Higginson was also the brains behind the car anti-theft device Disklok which is part of the Festive Lights family of organisations.

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