A Rainham family business has been forced to relocate after a property developer bought up the site it had occupied for 50 years.
The London Saw Company, previously located on the Fordview Industrial Estate in New Road, says it was initially given just one month’s notice to vacate the premises.
Director Jenna Crowley, whose father Trevor founded the business, said: "We were really upset, obviously, having been there for so long.
"My dad started the company years and years ago, so it’s really emotional to see it go."
The business offers sharpening services for a variety of products, including saws, guillotines, precision cutting and kitchen tools.
It also manufactures new saws and cutters.
The team applied for an extension to the notice period, which was eventually granted.
"We couldn’t possibly do it in a month because we had so much machinery," Jenna said.
"Over 50 years, we had accumulated quite a bit of machinery that sometimes we didn’t need."
When searching for their new site, Jenna and the team were keen to remain in the Rainham area.
But she said there were concerns about history repeating itself regarding the potential for redevelopment.
"We ideally would have liked to stay in Rainham, but because of all the construction, there was the worry that if we bought another property or we rented a property in Rainham, we might come under the same situation in a few years’ time."
The business has now moved to Basildon, Essex.
Jenna said that they are "really pleased" with the new location, describing it as "a really nice place".
She is excited to build a new client base there but emphasised that she "didn’t want to lose our current customers".
"We do have delivery vans and we don’t charge for that, so we actually go and collect and deliver back.
"So the customers that we have from [Rainham] shouldn’t really be affected other than those that used to walk in, but now we are offering to collect from them as well if they want it."
Jenna claimed that The London Saw Company was not the only business to be affected by this situation, saying that "about ten companies" on their road were also asked to leave.
Construction has yet to start on the original site.
Share