John Holt plc
| Type | Public (RC2662) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Conglomerate |
| Founded | 1897 |
| Headquarters | Lagos Liverpool |
| Revenue | 12 billion NGN (2006) |
| Employees | 1,200 (2006) |
| Website | John Holt Plc |
John Holt plc is a Nigerian conglomerate. It has been an important participant in many areas of the economy. The Nigerian company is a subsidiary of John Holt & Co. (Liverpool) Ltd, a United Kingdom company. A minority of the shares are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Origins
What is today a giant business group was in fact the pioneering effort of one man.
The story began in 1862 when John Holt, just under 21 years old, with £27 in his pocket, sailed from Liverpool to take up appointment as a shop assistant in a grocery store in Fernando Po (now Equitorial Guinea). Five years later, he bought out his employer and subsequently built up a produce trade with the Delta Ports. Palm Oil, Palm Kernels, Rubber and Cocoa were exported to England. Imports included textiles from Lancashire and bicycles from Birmingham. In 1897, John Holt established his first VENTURE in Lagos.
Up to the Second World War, much of John Holt's business was in distribution and export of produce. A fleet of ships operated a fortnightly service from Liverpool to West Africa and the Company also had its own fleet of river craft.
Apart from produce and merchandise, these river craft also carried cash. Where banks did not exist, John Holt had strong rooms. Even after banks were established, many Nigerians preferred to deposit their cash with John Holt.
[edit] The Liverpool company
Based in modern Liverpool City offices (the UK), John Holt & Co (Liverpool) Ltd carries on the business first started by John Holt in 1897.
The companies principal operations are in the UK and Nigeria and has trading partnerships worldwide; including Russia, Japan, Middle East and Africa.
John Holt & Co (Liverpool) Ltd is a major international trading, procurement and finance operation with a consolidated turnover exceeding US$100m.
John Holt & Co (Liverpool) Ltd is the majority shareholder (52%) in John Holt Plc, Nigeria.
John Holt's headquarters in Liverpool manages 3 UK-based lines of procurement and trading activity:
■Finance, purchase and shipment of products to its Nigerian subsidiary John Holt Plc. ■Trading and finance of goods to companies and private organisations worldwide. ■General trading to Government and International aid financed tender business worldwide. Teams of specialist buyers are able to call on many years of experience in world markets to source and supply various goods and services for our diverse customer base.
Current markets include - Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Ethiopia, Russia, Libya and Far East.
John Holt's experience has been built up over 130 years, during which time it has established distribution channels for a wide range of goods, a reputation for reliable service and its own brand name for a variety of consumer and industrial products.
[edit] The company today
John Holt Plc's operations and interests are managed by the following divisions:
TECHNICAL PRODUCTS & LEASING SERVICES:- This is a dominant leader among its peers in the country and has different business operational units including:
John Holt Engineering: This unit specializes in the sales, installation and maintenance of High Capacity Diesel Generators from 12.5kVA to 2200kVA. These generators are made in factories that are ISO 9001 certified and assembled in Nigeria. This unit also undertakes sale of genuine spare parts.
John Holt Cooling: This unit oversees sales, leasing and maintenance of Holt Star Air-conditioners which are assembled in our purpose-built factory in Lagos. This is also the operational leasing unit of the Group, providing professional lease and financing arrangements which enable organisations meet their equipment and machinery needs for Holt Star Air-conditioners, Generators, Boats and other operational equipment used by most corporate organisations.
Fire Safety Solutions: This unit executes the franchise for the Group in the distribution of Angus Fire (UK) and Rosenbauer (Austria) fire fighting equipment in Nigeria. The unit also provides adjunct services such as surveys, installations, services and maintenance.
Assemblies & Fabrication: This unit specializes in the fabrication of industrial and agricultural equipment as well as vehicle components and storage tanks. It also specializes in the assembly of generating sets, air-conditioners, and motorcycles. The Assembly plants were built with technical assistance from John Holt’s technical partners in Europe and Asia.
YAMACO/MARINE:-
Yamaco: This unit executes the franchise for the Group in the sole distribution of Yamaha petrol and diesel generators (from 0.7kVA to 10kVA), Yamaha motorcycles, Yamaha outboard motors, water pumps and multipurpose engines. It also provides efficient after sales maintenance and spare parts back up. Yamaha products have efficient and reliable qualities which have made them popular and in constant demand worldwide.
Almarine: This unit is the pioneer leader in the construction of glass reinforced plastic (GRP) boats in Nigeria. John Holt’s interest in boat building arose from the desire to engage in manufacturing enterprise and contribute to the development of a host of activities associated with marine technology, fishing, transportation, defence and leisure. It also offers lease and hire packages for our world class light marine vessels built by Almarine which are widely-used in the oil industry.
JOHN HOLT PROPERTIES: - This division operates in the following areas:
Warehousing and Inventory Management: John Holt Properties offers Merchandising and Redistribution Depot Services (MRDS) that link a controlled number of manufacturers, importers, wholesale distributors and their dealers, in almost 30 (thirty) key commercial city centres in Nigeria. Services provided focus on warehousing and inventory management.
Facility Management: John Holt Properties has a high level of proficiency in Facility Management. This was acquired over decades of managing John Holt Plc HQ and numerous John Holt branches nationwide. Also managed are 21 (twenty one) waterfront, luxury apartments in Victoria Island and other residential buildings in Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Lekki Phase 1.
Property Development: John Holt Properties is responsible for the development and management of the Group’s property portfolio across Nigeria, currently valued in excess of Seven Billion Naira. The division is also dedicated to identifying and executing property development opportunities, geared towards providing high quality office and residential accommodation solutions. John Holt Properties offers modern design options that merge functionality with aesthetics, allowing the delivery of these distinctive housing and commercial units.”
The Group Head Office is responsible for managing all centralised functions of the Group such as Central Purchasing, Insurance, Finance, Human Capital Development, IT and Legal.
