By GAYNOR PENGELLY
DOREEN Lofthouse’s philosophy in life is to always keep it simple.
It is this ethos that has helped the 80 year old to transform an old family recipe to treat fishermen with chesty coughs into a global brand worth £165million.
At the company’s headquarters in Fleetwood, Lancashire there is no state of the art office, no slick teams of spin-doctors and PR’s. The company remains a family business run by Tony, Doreen and her son Duncan – there are no other shareholders and no boardroom – and that’s the way the Lofthouses like to keep it.
‘Many people think to simplify their lives they need to get more help, she says. ‘But I’ve learned it’s best not to surround yourself with people who tell you they know better than you do. I know my own business inside out. I trust my own judgement.’
Yet no amount of business acumen can prepare you for some of life’s most unexpected dramas.
In March last year, Doreen and husband Tony faced an ordeal she describes as ‘her worst nightmare.’
The day started like any other. After a busy day in the office, the couple enjoyed a stroll around the garden with their two dogs. She and Tony were curled up on the sofa in a kitchen watching television, when two raiders wearing black clothes with balaclavas, armed with a screwdriver and a crowbar, burst into the room.
The thieves threatened them, assaulted Tony with a crowbar and made off with the couple’s most treasured possessions, including the solid gold Fisherman’s Friend that Tony gave Doreen on their wedding day, and the MBE and OBE medals, awarded for charity work.
‘I was just so horrified. It was like the worst nightmare anyone could ever have, says Doreen. ‘The night was normal – nothing seemed unusual, it was calm and quiet and then suddenly, oh my God, these two men in black ran down the stairs.‘I see these two figures coming down the stairs – I still see them.
‘They had Eastern European accents and told us ‘we know who you are and what you are worth’.
‘I felt strangely calm. One told me to take him to the safe. I thought I’m not going to argue, I’m not going to lie, I took him upstairs to the bedroom and told him ‘there’s the safe, there’s the keys – there you go’.
Concerned for his wife, Tony tried to escape his captor. But the robber hit him over the head with a crowbar, saying ‘that’s for being a hero’. Tony suffered a serious head injury, and was also cut with the screwdriver during the struggle.
‘When I came down stairs afterwards and saw the blood, that undoubtedly was the worst moment, I feared the worst, she adds.
‘They locked us in the bathroom. We couldn’t get out and we thought ‘there’s only one thing to do, we will have to lie down on the floor and wait.’
It was 8 o’clock the following morning when the gardener arrived for work and became so concerned at the couple’s absence he called police.
Says Doreen: ‘We were very upset and traumatized. They stole a lot of possessions of enormous sentimental value, things like my late mother in law’s engagement ring, trinkets Tony had bought me for special occasions over the years.’
Tony was rushed to hospital where he received treatment for a number of injuries.
Several days later, Doreen’s OBE and MBE medals were found in the middle of a small burnt-out fire on a dirt track in Walton, Liverpool.
‘The robbers probably thought my medals would be easily identifiable so destroyed them. I was terribly upset at first but at the end of the day the thieves only took our possessions, I still have my memories – and no one can take them away.
The thieves are not the only targets of their anger. Several days later, Doreen’s OBE and MBE charred medals were found in the middle of a small burnt-out fire on a dirt track in Liverpool. Doreen recalled: ‘We were terribly upset at first, but I didn’t want the originals back – they were tainted after being handled by the robbers. So I wrote to the Palace, telling them what had happened and asking if replacements were possible.’
In return, she received a standard letter telling her that that if she wanted replacements she would have to send a cheque for £41.36 per medal.
‘To be recognised for my charitable work and awarded an MBE by the Queen and an OBE by Prince Charles is one of the proudest achievements of my life.’ said Doreen. ‘So I was upset to be treated with such indifference. It was not a lot of money, but it was the principle. That’s why I have not replaced the medals. In many ways to be treated in such a manner has reduced their value in my eyes.
It was clear that the raiders had done their homework, dodging CCTV cameras, climbing a 15ft high wall topped with barbed wire and by-passing two Alsatians running free in the garden.
‘We had been watched for some time which was very upsetting and unnerving, says Doreen. ‘The raiders knew everything about us; I suppose that comes with being on the Rich List, she adds. ‘Tony and I feel vulnerable when it comes out each year. That’s also why we are so against the streetview pictures on Google maps,’ she added. ‘It makes it to so much easier for thieves to stake out properties on-line, allowing them to research doors and windows and security.
‘Shortly after the attack we were chatting to the police and they told us about this wonderful technology called “automatic number plate recognition (ANPR)”, a clever technology that enables police to capture registration numbers displayed on all types of vehicles, compare them with stored intelligence, then hotlists and transfer them to a database for analytical purposes.
We felt strongly this was what we needed in Fleetwood, so we donated our £500,000 insurance money from the burglary.
‘The Police took Tony and me out for a ride in one of their cars to demonstrate how it worked. It was very exciting because within minutes it identified a stolen vehicle. Tony and I were all up for them switching on the sirens and heading for a high speed chase – but they radioed another car for back-up and dropped us off at the station.
But while Doreen was shocked by the experience, there was a pressing reason for her to recover her equilibrium: the business.
It is clear she draws great strength from the love and support of her family and the 280 workers at Fisherman’s Friends.
‘They were wonderful; I couldn’t get through the door for flowers and cards. Even people I’d never met – outside the community from miles away – wrote letters of support.’
‘The people at Fisherman’s Friends are like a family to me, I know everyone by name and I am very proud that 12 people in our factory have worked for the business for over thirty years.’
James Lofthouse invented the Fisherman Friend recipe in 1865. For 100 years the tonic was used exclusively for the community of Fleetwood – until the1960’s, when a vivacious girl with a good head for business married into the family.
Doreen’s arrival at the firm was a breath of fresh air and every bit as potent as the Fisherman’s Friends recipe mix of liquorice, capsicum, menthol and eucalyptus oil.
She quickly recognized the potential of the fiery lozenges and started selling them outside of Fleetwood. Heading off in her small white van with no indicators and a leaky petrol gauge, Doreen spread the word across Lancashire, then Yorkshire and in a short while then they were inundated with orders from all over the UK.
She also managed to persuade Boots the Chemist to trial Fisherman’s Friends and it was soon ‘in demand’ across the UK.
While the family carried on running their Fleetwood pharmacy, Tony and Doreen decided to increase production of Fisherman’s Friend and look abroad.
It was a recipe for success. These days, Fisherman’s Friends sells five billion cough lozenges into 120 countries. In Germany they consume the lozenges in a similar way as Brits eat crisps or chocolate bars, while in Far Eastern countries; the lozenges are a luxury item equivalent to a box of chocolates. Thailand loves fruity Fisherman’s Friend in chewing gum form.
Even in times of economic uncertainty the business continues to buck the trend, with turnover slightly up this year to £34.1m.
In recognition of its global success, Fisherman’s Friend has received the Queen’s Award to Industry for Export Achievement three times. And Doreen has been honoured for her services to charity; receiving both the MBE and OBE.
Doreen and Tony say the wave of love and support they have received from the townsfolk of Fleetwood has helped them to recover from the attack.
‘It was a terrible ordeal that hit us hard. But it is all in the past now and in many respects I feel sorry for our attackers, says Doreen. ‘They were high on drugs that night and you must take pity on anyone whose addiction has forced them to find desperate ways to feed their habit.’
At 80, Doreen says she has no plans to slow down or retire, she says: ‘I believe a business is like an engine, you must keep it fired up with fresh ideas and hard work or it will stop.
‘I came into this business without knowledge, expertise or qualifications, but I have always been blessed with an abundance of energy and enthusiasm.
‘Each morning I am eager to get into the office, log onto the Internet, find out what is going on in the world.
‘Fisherman’s Friends is our baby, it pays the money and allows us to employ several hundred people.’
It is clear their town is a place very close to their heart. As well as providing the area with work, the family set up ‘The Lofthouse Foundation’ in 1994 to put something back’ into Fleetwood. Since then a percentage of the company’s profits has poured into the town. Hospitals have been refurbished, medical equipment upgraded; there is a new playground and improvements to the promenade and part of Fleetwood’s shopping centre now named Fisherman’s Walk.
Several years ago, Doreen bought a 17ft high statue of Eros at an auction at Sotheby’s. Today it stands proudly on a roundabout at the entrance to the town.
‘Eros, the God who represents unselfish love, is something I felt was very appropriate for Fleetwood, she says.
‘The town has suffered so much over the past few years as the traditional fishing industry declined. It now needs all the love and support it can get.’
And as Doreen and Tony come to terms with an attack that has left them feeling vulnerable and has changed their lives forever, you can be certain this love and support will be reciprocated.
Tags: Crime, Doreen Lofthouse, famous entrepreneurs, Fisherman’s Friends, Inspirational stories, SME case Studies - Startup Stories
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September 19th, 2010 at 7:39 amMandie says:
What an amazing woman – such passion,dedication and an unwavering desire to do the right thing by all. I wish every business owner portrayed these qualities.
Thanks for a wonderful read on a Sunday Morning. You can only be inspired and empowered by such stories.