The Dixon dynasty

So many of Whitehaven’s traditional family shops have closed over the years, ranging from Robinson’s ironmonger’s in Tangier Street, the outfitters Lamb’s and Birkett’s in King Street, The Beehive in the same street, and Charlie Bie’s shoe stop on Lowther Street.

J. Dixon & Son, on Lowther Street, the town’s oldest surviving family business, is going strong after 124 years and has no intention of succumbing to The Workington competition.

Dixon’s already has a strong foothold in the Workington door, for its 71-year-old owner, Donald Dixon, had the foresight (in 1998) to build an out-of-town shopping and cinema complex called Dunmail Park, now a magnet for West Cumbrians of all ages, attracting 30,000 thousand of them every week for shopping and the flicks.

The visionary Mr Dixon may have his sights set on another venture but just at the moment he’s keeping his cards close to his chest — “We have some ideas in hand for the local area,” said Donald in one of his rare interviews.

Queen Victoria was on the throne in 1882 when Joseph Dixon began as a cabinet maker and French polisher, later adding an undertaking business, in a small shop at 23 Queen Street.

William (Will) Dixon took over from his father and by 1962, the year of the firm’s 80th anniversary, Dixon’s had also established shops in Carlisle and Kendal, making it one of the largest distributors of carpets, furnishings and household goods in the North of England.

Never a man to court the limelight, the present head of the Dixon dynasty clearly inherited both his grandfather’s and father’s flair for trade and commerce.

The former Whitehaven Grammar School scholar has been influenced by his travels to Europe and the United States; in American terms he would have been dubbed a business magnate long ago

Donald’s astuteness was never more apparent than towards the end of the 1990s when, supported by his son and daughter, he made what was a critical decision to ensure the continuing success of his business, that it did not fall by the wayside as the big chain stores started to change the face of the high streets all over the country.

The 1998 watershed saw the Dixon family become one of the first in West Cumbria to join the revolution for out-of-town shopping.

On Lowther Street, the emporium remained pre-eminent in customers’ shopping psyche, but at Workington a decision had to be made whether to stay put in the town centre or move out.

Donald detected a wind of change — it was a trend for out-of-town shopping. He duly made the move to Dunmail Park (on the Workington-Maryport) road and it hasn’t caused him a moment’s regret.

Eight years on, Dunmail has become a visitors’ Mecca for more reasons than one.

Within two years of investing in a huge department store on Dunmail Park, Donald hit on another idea: this time to have a top-class cinema right alongside his new shopping complex.

With six different picture-watching studios, incorporating all the latest technology, Dunmail Park has managed to entice thousands back to the big screen, though the subsequent loss of The Gaiety in Whitehaven and The Ritz in Workington is regretted by many.

Donald Dixon also had the foresight to put the running of the cinema into the experienced hands of Graves Bros, who also had The Gaiety and The Ritz.

So what took him down the Dunmail Park route? — “It was the general trend for out-of-town shopping, one we felt we had to get into. Parking was a big factor and now we can offer no fewer than 500 spaces for people to leave their cars while they either go shopping or to the cinema, preferably both. Longer hours, free parking and lots of it.”

Is it just as popular? — “Oh, more so today. We’ve visitors from as far as Dumfries, Longtown, Brampton, across to Appleby and down to Barrow, not to mention all the people from Copeland and Allerdale.

“We also attract a lot of tourists who come to Dunmail Park in their caravans knowing they will be able to get a park overnight.

“I even know of some who enjoy a walk from St Bees to go to the cinema.

“Dunmail Park has given us five times as much floor and selling space than Whitehaven and it’s good that there has also been a social trend for people to come out more and go to the pictures.”

What was it that made up your mind to have a cinema? — “It was while we were in America. We went around cinemas, the new ones, literally measuring up. We asked to be shown round and we were very impressed. The result was that what we built at Dunmail Park had the highest specification of any in Britain at the time.

“We wanted to have more height between the seats and leg room than any in America and that’s what we got. There is also very special sound-proofing in both the roof and between the six cinema studios. It’s our building, but we came to an arrangement with Graves Bros to run it: they have the expertise, and they have also put in a lot of investment.”

But is Whitehaven tailor-made to match Workington in any shopping war? — “Well, there is obviously a limited amount of money and business to go round, but I think Whitehaven is up to the challenge. We can be different in what we offer and it is a case that we have to keep on improving to give customers what they want and offer them choice.”

Will Workington’s new shops, particularly Debenham’s, be daunting competition? — “No, not really. The fact is that more and more people like to drive out of town for their shopping in the evening, have free parking and also combine it with a trip to high-quality cinema.

“We did have Debenham’s as a franchise in our Whitehaven store for a time, but we knew long before they decided to have their own shop at Workington that it wasn’t going to be a long term. Let’s say we had friendly discussions with them.

“In any case, today we have 42 different franchises renting space, some at Whitehaven but mainly at Dunmail; it enables us to offer a wider choice to our customers.”

At Whitehaven, have you a bit of a monopoly as a department store? — “No, I think there is plenty of competition and choice in Whitehaven but we have all to keep on improving.”

What’s kept you going all these year, the secret of your success? — “Personal relationships have been important, both with customers and people in the business world. At one time I was the British representative to the European Furniture Union and I was able to pick up on trends and ideas from all over Europe, everybody helping each other.”

“There is much more imported now than there used to be, a far cry from when my grandfather started making furniture in Queen Street, but well over half of our products are manufactured in the UK. We get a lot from China and Eastern Europe but we go out to some of the factories and choose ourselves.”

The Lowther Street department store now combines around 50 different buildings, including what were once houses at the rear, and Moss’s stationery shop and printing works. Donald Dixon bought the property and Cumbrian Newspaper Group the jobbing printer’s premises, which was demolished after CN Group moved to Lillyhall.

On the street and incorporated into Dixon’s at one time or another were No. 9 (a dentist’s), No. 10 (Barton’s ladies’ wear), No. 11 (Lloyd’s Bank), No. 12 (Whitehaven Building Society), Moss’s, No. 14 Batty’s Cafe, No 15 Cyril Moore’s furnishers, No. 16 Hildreth & Walker ladies dresses, and No. 17 Anderson’s cake shop.

William Dixon’s move from Queen Street in the late 1880s took him to 7 Lowther Street. “My grandfather bought that because his best customer was Lord Lonsdale and he wanted his to be the first shop in Whitehaven that Lord Lonsdale would come to from Lowther Castle up the road.”

The Carlisle and Kendal shops have long gone, but today J. Dixon and Son, having stood the test of time, employs 350 staff, mainly full- time between Whitehaven and Workington, making it one of West Cumbria’s biggest employers.

Donald Dixon, one-time world traveller and holder of a pilot’s licence, has no plans to sail off into the sunset: there are lines of succession to keep J. Dixon & Son flying high — and in the family. The firm has also moved sufficiently with the times to have its own website for on-line ordering at both Whitehaven and Dunmail.