Dicksons has been a household name in the Northeast for almost seven decades. The family business, which has won national awards and been visited by royalty in recent years, is now looking to drive down its energy costs and carbon emissions with a range of energy efficiency measures.
Since opening its first shop on South Shields’ Prince Edwards Road in 1953, the business has expanded its operation to include over 30 shops as well as a factory which serves as its production hub. Thanks to forward thinking by its management team, almost all Dicksons premises are now lit with LED lighting.
The new lights at the factory aren’t the only sign of a brighter future, with 11 voltage optimisers and a 157,00 KW solar array installed to further minimise energy costs and save a total of 88 tonnes of carbon each year. Staff are also about to be given additional training to help make them more aware of energy usage and how their actions can help the business to keep costs down.
Managing Director Chris Hayman said:
“We’re so pleased with the progress we’ve made. There’s a real appetite to do more in this area of the business. We’ll continue to invest as new technologies become available, we’ll be smarter when designing shops or improvements to our factory, but we’ll always rely on the commitment of our great staff to help drive improvements.”
Dicksons was one of the first businesses to sign the South Tyneside Pledge, with reducing carbon emissions being one of the key aims of the initiative.
Chris has ambitious plans to continue improving efficiency and driving down energy costs.
He added:
“Our shops were not totally designed with energy efficiency in mind, so you’ll sometimes find chillers next to hot spots – this is something we are looking to address when we open more new shops later this year.”
Looking ahead, among the next set of challenges is making its fleet of seven lorries more sustainable. With the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) implemented in Newcastle City Centre, electric vehicles are being considered along with more innovative possibilities such as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil and Hydrogen fuels.
For further information about the Pledge, visit investsouthtyneside.com/why-south-tyneside/south-tyneside-pledge/
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