Acquisition is light bulb moment for family-run business

WEST YORKSHIRE light bulb supplier Status International has bought a southern rival for an undisclosed sum.

J.F.Poytner will add “significantly” to the family-run group’s annual sales of £30m through its trading brand, Maxim Lamps.

Sussex-based Maxim, described as a “very profitable” company, produced its first light bulb in 1879 and has been run in the UK by the Poytner family since 1910.

Status, which is run by father-and-son team Peter and Nicholas McVeigh, is looking to increase its market share in its 25th year.

Peter McVeigh, chairman of Cleckheaton-based Status, said the purchase “will strengthen our existing product range”.

He added: “Maxim Lamps has been a competitor of ours for a number of years and it is a significant addition to our company as we look to grow the business further this year.

“We intend to retain the Maxim Lamps brand in certain categories. It is very much business as usual for existing Maxim Lamps customers during this period as we look to merge the two businesses.”

Status operates from its head office in Cleckheaton, where it has a warehouse, distribution centre and in-house design studio that employs 65 people.