Author: Gareth Thomas, Branch Manager, HAYLEY DEXIS Newport
It’s crazy to think I’ve been at the HAYLEY DEXIS Newport branch since 1995, that’s 31 of the 50 years since Bernie & Lee began the journey. You’ll no doubt read a lot about Bernie & Lee as you scan some of the staff stories. But in truth, I’m not surprised, as they were genuinely lovely people who would give you the shirt off their back. And as you’ll read, back in the 90s, they did more than that.
As we all celebrate HAYLEY DEXIS turning 50, I’m happy that our marketing team chose to let long-standing team members tell the story. The fact that there are so many long-standing staff is perhaps the first indicator that we’re not your everyday business. There’s a culture of people first here, and I genuinely hope that grows.
So here’s my journey, which has been winding, to say the least.
A Brand-new Welsh Branch
In all honesty, my passion back in the early 90’s was actually photography, and I could often be found in a dark room developing photos the old-fashioned way. My job at the time saw me travelling from Cardiff, where I still live today, to Newport and Bristol to do anything in photography. Unfortunately, I realised that the dream of photography was a tricky one to follow. So I changed my path to develop a different career – one that led to a company before HAYLEY DEXIS called Olympic Chevin. I was a technically minded person, so I’d encourage anyone like that to consider a career with HAYLEY DEXIS too.
The initial team consisted of four or five members, and as a youngster, I had followed two managers (husband and wife) who left Olympic to start the Newport branch with me as Office Manager. I eventually became joint branch manager when the original manager parted company in 2007, and have been at the helm of our Newport branch solely since 2012.
Back then, the team was solely focused on providing customers with bearings, belts, chains, sprockets and seals. And as I have previously written about, the branch was a central point of support for the steel industry – which was prominent in Newport and Port Talbot at the time. The branch was strategically located next to Llanwern steel works.
Early Systems and Technological Advancements
The branch initially used a non PC “black and white” based computer system and a lot of pen and paper for processing sales orders and creating purchase orders. Over time, we transitioned to PCs and then new ERP system in 2008, which will be updated at the end of 2026.
Back then, communications with customers were primarily by phone and curly fax messages, which is now mainly email, but we’ve still maintained those personal relationships with customers, regularly picking up the phone. The branch now employs 18 people, including two at in-sites, and covers a large area in South Wales. We’re also proud that we won the first branch of the year award in 2024, which was a significant achievement.
Lee and Bernie, the former owners, are a big part of the success that we are today – the foundations of kindness towards every team member and going above and beyond. Professionally, this was very true, but personally too, as I can also remember when Zippy (Julian) mentioned how much he loved cars and how he’d always wanted to drive a Jaguar. Lee then threw him his car keys and said he could borrow his Jaguar XJR for a week – a small but huge gesture.
There was a lot of fun and camaraderie back in the 90s – a lot of fond memories of nights out, too many to list!
Impact of Being Part of a Larger Organisation
Even though we are committed to opening more local branches, we are now part of the larger Descours & Cabaud group, which provides benefits such as access to European contacts, helping our branches secure Pan-European contracts.
As we work with businesses of all sizes now, and the tenders vary, it’s essential to have the buying power, but also the legal team and other support structures.
Future of HAYLEY DEXIS and Company Culture
When I consider the future, I’d say it’s bright, as long as the business continues to understand that success will always be attributed to a people-first approach, an understanding of the local community and challenges, and a commitment to face-to-face customer interactions.
That’s not just externally either; branch managers and team members need to continue to develop cross-team collaboration and share learnings and experiences. HAYLEY DEXIS has resisted being a box-shifting business, and I do not doubt that we will continue to balance investing in technology while partnering with customers on a personal level to offer 360-degree support.
Interested? You can find your local HAYLEY DEXIS branch here