As part of our 50th year celebrations, we got the cameras back out and headed over the Orwell to our Ipswich branch to catch up with two more familiar faces.
In More Than a Merchant: Part Two, we sit down with Mick Cox and Ronnie Mapplebeck, who between them dedicated decades of service to Collier & Catchpole. What followed was more than just a conversation. It was a reminder of what has always made Collier & Catchpole special.
Mick and Ron reflect on what it truly meant to work at Colliers. There were early mornings, busy yards and the usual pressures of the trade, but what stands out most in their stories is the sense of belonging. They talk about laughter in the yard, Christmas hams, productivity bonuses, supportive managers and friendships that lasted long after retirement. It was never just a job. It was a community.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever known someone to have a company moped!” Moments like that capture the character and personality that have always been part of Collier & Catchpole, a business serious about service but never short on humour. Listening to Mick and Ron, one message comes through clearly. People mattered.
Employees were known by name. Effort was recognised. Loyalty was valued. There was pride in doing the job properly and looking after customers, and in looking after each other. It is why so many team members stayed for 30 years or more, not because they had to but because they genuinely wanted to.
That culture, built on respect, camaraderie and doing right by one another, remains at the heart of Collier & Catchpole today. For 50 years under the Collier & Catchpole name, and long before that, we have supplied bricks, blocks, timber and building materials across Essex and Suffolk. Our legacy is not just built on products. It is built on people.
A huge thank you to Mick and Ronnie for coming to visit us back at the branch, and for sharing their stories and being part of our anniversary celebrations. Always a pleasure.
