Security company expands with move to The Deep in Hull

A security company that was relocated from Leeds to Beverley because of a passion for polo is now expanding into Hull.

Security Direct UK, which supplies specialist shutters, doors and grilles to corporate and domestic customers around the UK, is heading into its 10th year.

With less than half of the company’s business coming from its home area, a presence at The Deep Business Centre would allow the firm to tap into growing commercial and residential opportunities in the Hull area, according to managing director Matthew Yeo.

He said: “We’re based in East Yorkshire, yet most of our work is across the country, with 60 per cent of orders coming from the London area and a strong client base served by our people in Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham.

“But we’ve watched how Hull has grown since its year as UK City of Culture. There has been more investment and development which is good for our business and expanding to The Deep will raise our profile.”

Matthew and his brothers, installations director Alex and sales director Ollie, took over the company from their father Stuart in March 2010 and operated successfully in Leeds, where major projects included a £1.5m contract to fit window grilles to homes as part of a crime prevention initiative with West Yorkshire Police.

But as keen polo players the three were lured to Beverley to play at clubs in Tickton and Market Weighton and they took the business with them, investing in more sophisticated products and building a team of seven to look after a client base of household names.

Matthew said: “We’ve moved on a lot from those early days of window bars and our work is much more specialised now. A lot of it is online, which helps us to keep costs down, and our aim in year 10 is to keep growing and maybe recruit one or two more people. We’ll also continue to build our reputation by doing a good job because the big brands we work with only give you one chance.”