All In The Family: Sister-Owned Wholesaler, Derbyshire Refrigeration
Derbyshire Refrigeration Limited is a YELLOW JACKET wholesaler in Nottingham, England, which is owned by two sisters, Andrea Burton and Vanessa Hill.
Their father, Terrence Hill, founded the company in 1983. Terrance was a refrigeration engineer who worked in the industry for most of his life.
Andrea and Vanessa grew up learning about refrigeration and the ins and outs of the company from their father. By the time they were in high school in the early ‘90s, the sisters were working full-time at the family business.
Over the years, Andrea and Vanessa gained experience working with their father. When he retired in 2000, he passed the business on to his daughters.
Today, Derbyshire Refrigeration has grown to become one the UK’s foremost suppliers and distributors of refrigeration tools, including YELLOW JACKET products.
For the most part, the sisters kept with their father’s tradition of serving engineers and refrigeration professionals both onsite in Nottingham and also by telephone. However, a few upgrades were made to keep up with the demand.
“We were one of the first HVAC stores to launch an online site in the UK,” says Vanessa. “We have always taken great pride in serving our customers in our store and on the phone. When we started the website, it helped strengthen our company because we could offer a large choice of products with instant availability. Many other HVAC companies have followed in our footsteps.”
In addition to the company being woman-owned, another feature that makes Derbyshire unique is its trade counter.
“Not only is it one of the largest in the UK,” Vanessa says, “but it was constructed as a traditional store layout so that engineers can walk around the store and collect the items they need.”
“This layout enables us to display and demonstrate the more than 100 YELLOW JACKET tools we stock,” Vanessa adds, “which is invaluable to our sales staff.”
If you are based in Nottingham or are working in the area, make sure to visit Derbyshire Refrigeration and say ‘hello’ to Vanessa, Andrea or one of the other members of their staff. For more information, head on over to the Derbyshire website.