Traditional values help popular family firm survive and thrive

Phillip Holden Rural, or just “Holdens” to its regular customers, is a real old-fashioned family business. Wendy Short went behind the counter to talk to owner, Adam Holden, at Barnard Castle 

SURROUNDED by competition from several of the much larger agricultural merchants, not to mention the growth in internet sales, Philip Holden Rural will nevertheless celebre its 50th birthday in little over a year’s time.

Holdens stocks everything from chicken feed for the hobby producer right up to the latest Moocall technology, a sensor which alerts farmers to the imminence of calving.
However, the main business focus is the sale of veterinary medicines. The task of fulfilling all the legal obligations which come with the licence to dispense these products is onerous, says Adam Holden, who sits on the council of AHDA, the animal health distributors association. He and his fellow dispenser, Helen Harrison, are required to undertake ongoing training to demonstrate their competence and ability to keep up to date with changes in the law and the uses for new treatments which come onto the market.
When it comes to other livestock products, the move from the small shop in Galgate to much larger premises on the Harmire Enterprise Park in 2008 has given the business much more scope, he says. The firm is an agent for Varleys livestock feed and has recently started to stock bale wrap. Another relatively new addition is the wide range of children’s farm toys and some of the model tractors, for example, are remarkably true to detail.
George, 6, is the only one of Adam and his wife Rachel’s four children who enjoys browsing these shelves but it is too early to know whether he and his three sisters, Hollie, 15, Millie, 13 and Maisie, 10, might one day join the family business.
“Some people assume that it is boring to be stuck in a shop all day, but in fact the work varies greatly, as the season unfolds,” says Adam.
“The sheep side is busiest at lambing time, of course, with all the associated health products and equipment that are needed, moving on to concentrate feedstuffs and through to tupping time and preparations for the breeding stock sales.
“Many of my beef farmer customers calve in the spring and autumn, but they come in for worming products and other veterinary treatments all year round. The toys have been a big success. Obviously, Christmas is always hectic, but we also increase our sales during the Easter and summer holidays.”
Phillip Holden’s brother Bill, now retired, is a trained chemist with a keen interest in animal health and while the family’s only agricultural connection was a relative who farmed at Chopwell, Bill spent a short period working for West Cumberland Farmers, as it was then known. The brothers got together and decided that veterinary medicine distribution could offer a good business opportunity.
“It was not common at that time for veterinary medicines to be sold on farms,” explains Adam. “The chemist’s licence gave the business the credentials that were required and dad was responsible for sales and deliveries, visiting farms in Teesdale, Weardale and beyond.
“However, the rules and regulations changed and they were required to set up fixed premises, which led to the 1970 opening of Holden Agricultural Chemist, in Wolsingham. It was followed by premises in Galgate in 1972 and we also have a shop in Hawes, as well as a Portakabin, which is open at Leyburn auction on market days. My father and my uncle Bill parted ways in 1983 – they get on much better now that they are simply brothers, rather than business partners.”
On many family farms, the head of the household will gradually relinquish control of the business and allow the next generation to take over and Holdens has followed a similar pattern. Adam’s sister, Lucy, is a school teacher and when Phillip retired in 2010, it was Adam who inherited the business. However the elder Mr Holden will help out whenever he is needed and Adam’s mother, Janet, has stayed on to help with administration. Adam is appreciative of his other team members and relies on Diane Watson, who has been with the company since 2001, to run the accounts side.
He is also keen to mention part-time dispenser, Helen Gallagher, and Kelvin Spooner, who works in the warehouse, along with Saturday workers, Michael Hutchinson and Oliver Sayer.
Phillip Holden is popular and well-known for his lively character and musical prowess. He found fame as a member of The Singing Farmers, a band which entertained the public in a series of concerts in Yorkshire, to raise money for the charity RABI (Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution).
Cover versions spanned a variety of genres and Phillip himself sang a selection of Tyneside songs and would tell a story or two. It might have been assumed that he would be a hard act to follow, but Adam takes a different perspective.
 “I think that dad’s personality was the main reason why the mobile veterinary medicine business was such a success. I approach life differently and I can clearly remember being told by Alec Robinson, who was with the company for a long time, that it was important to develop my own personality, rather than trying to follow in dad’s footsteps. That was good advice.
“Dad was keen for me to gain some experience before I joined him in 1987 and I worked on a dairy farm and took a course at agricultural college, before I started as his apprentice. On reflection, that was a sound idea and I think it has helped me to understand the practicalities of farming and some of the science behind it.”
Holdens has probably survived largely because it has maintained traditional values and offers a personal service that some of the larger companies can find difficult to match, according to Adam.
“You have to be a listening ear and I do think that customers appreciate face-to-face contact and expert help with choosing veterinary products.
“Our shops also function as a community hub and people often stay on long after making their purchases; either to chat to the staff, or to fellow customer; farming can be a lonely job.
“We have a paper-based system at present, but we plan to invest in a computerised system and we are looking at bar coding the products. There is also going to be a mezzanine area, to increase our floor space. The baton has passed into my hands and Holdens has to keep moving forward. I can promise all of our customers that we still be here is 2020 and that we will be celebrating our anniversary in style.”