George Hill Ltd, sponsors of Oldham Athletic FC’s Main Stand, this year celebrate their 95th year of successful trading as a local family run business.
A large part of Oldham’s industry, George Hill is to this day a major supplier of timber in the North West, and with a staff of more than 45 employees is more streamlined than ever.
Sponsors of the Main Stand since May 2013, the Hill Family have been supporters of Oldham Athletic for many years, and are proud to be associated with a club that have a long running tradition in the local area. In fact, when George Hill formed in Oldham in 1919, Oldham Athletic was in England’s top flight of football, the First Division.
Inspired by the timber business in America while spending some time there in the early 1900’s, exactly one year to the day after the First World War finally ended, George Hill Limited was established in Oldham by Saddleworth farmer, George Hill, brother Roland, and son Wilfred. Between the two World Wars of the 1900′s, the demand for timber grew with a need for better housing and despite the depression of the 1930′s, the business continued to grow leading to the acquisition of additional premises on Lady Street, Oldham in 1932.
When George Hill died in 1948, the business passed to his two sons, George Frank and Wilfred Hill, who began to specialise in their own areas: purchasing and production. With dedication to quality and the selection of superior timber from around the world, the business continued to flourish and in 1960 the brothers purchased a five acre site at Scottfield from the council, tendering the 3 less-than-ideal, town-centre premises to the council for redevelopment.
By now a well-established supplier of quality timber, this new site was ideal for the company’s needs and has been our home ever since. Additional sites in Sale (1975), Bolton (1982) and Nelson (2002) have opened over the years as we continued to expand, eventually leading to the addition of another 5 acres at the Oldham site in 1983.
Sadly our founder’s grandson, George Frank Hill (the third) passed away in August 2014. Today, George Hill (Oldham) Ltd is run by his daughter Jayne Hill, Andy Taylor (Son-in-Law) and son George William Hill. The company still hinges on the same ethos that it began with 95 years ago: a dedication to quality, specialist timber and a first class customer service experience.
"I feel an enormous sense of pride and satisfaction that the business is turning 95. As the company moves on to the next generation, my family and I aim to take it from strength to strength, whilst keeping the quality of products and personal service George Hill is known for.” Jayne Hill, Director.