Does DL stand for Daniel Lowe?
No, I’m not taking the credit. The D stands for Dobson, my Mother’s maiden name, and the L is for Lowe, my Father’s surname. My maternal Grandfather (Ted) and Dad (Peter) joined forces to create the Company and started trading in November 1974. I was just a year old at the time, so not much use! But they may well have had an eye on the future……
What does DL do?
We started out in the ’70s selling shelving and racking, then became well-known for demountable office partitioning as the local economy changed. These days, we offer everything from kitchens and furniture to suspended ceilings and mezzanine floors. We employ skilled joiners, so there’s not much we can’t do in a workspace! It’s hard to list everything we do in one paragraph!
Can you manage a whole project?
Absolutely we can. As trustworthy and reliable people, we’re constantly project managing and successfully delivering multi-trade fit-outs and refurbs, from £1,000 up to £1,000,000 and beyond. We believe that a single partition or desk can lead to bigger things, so we work on behalf of customers, to make sure we earn their trust and then deliver the complete works, when a full turn-key project comes around.
Do you only deal with large companies?
Not at all. We’ve been fortunate to get repeat work from Multi-National Blue-Chip organisations, some shown below. But we mainly work with owner managed businesses, from 1 person up to hundreds. Having worked in partnership with clients for 50 years, we know that all businesses start somewhere and we do our bit to help them move through the stages of physical development.
How do you keep up-to-date with the latest thinking in office design?
The last five years have seen the fastest changes to office thinking in our lifetime. After Covid, everyone wanted to know what the future would look like. The answer? There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Every company we work with has different needs that have evolved since then. We listen to our clients, then offer the latest products and ideas to match that requirement. With an in-house design team, we provide lots of options to suit any idea and budget.
What are DL’s strengths?
We excel at finding the right solution for each customer. Whether it’s the detail of a single partition or overseeing a big fit-out, we’ve got the skills and experience to get it done. We see ourselves as part of the client’s team, providing quality workmanship, honest advice, and lasting value.
What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of our people and the way we do business—putting the client at the centre of everything we do. Everyone here gets it, and that shows in our 117 reviews with a 5-star rating, in the construction industry. That’s no small feat and really reflects the hard work we all put in.
What about the next 50 years?
That’s the exciting part—who knows? We’ve evolved with the times to meet our clients’ needs, and we’ll keep doing that. Think back a generation—no mobile phones, no laptops, no email! The changes to the office since then have been huge.
We’ll keep adopting the latest thinking and products. No one can predict the future, but as agents of change, we’re in the perfect position to be flexible and offer the latest trends. Whatever happens, the ethos of DL will remain—providing top-quality products, workmanship, integrity, and service. I hope we’ll make it to 100 years—whether I’m around to see it or not, that’s a whole other question!
