Stan's stuck with the firm

Aug 18 2005 By Jon Griffin, Evening Mail

VETERAN business owner Stan Hughes has called off his retirement, after failing to give away his firm to a redundant Longbridge worker.

Stan, aged 69, pledged to carry on working after talks with scores of would-be takers for his Newtown printing and engraving firm proved fruitless.

He was inundated with callers after the Evening Mail revealed he was offering to give away his business to a redundant MG Rover worker, with training included.

But four months later Stan, who has run SJH Engraving since 1959, has failed to reach agreement to hand over the company, despite a flood of interest.

"It's very disappointing," he said. "I must have seen 60 people since the original publicity and around 30 of those were from MG Rover. I wanted to help somebody who was unemployed but it just hasn't worked out.

"I was hoping to semi-retire but but it looks as though I am going to have to put any retirement plans on hold now.

"I have got plenty of work on but making sure the orders come in is the hardest part and I don't know if the people who came to see me had the ability to do that.

"I didn't want somebody who would have got rid of the business in a few weeks.

"I would have thought that somebody from Longbridge would have been interested but maybe they have worked too long in a factory doing one job."

Stan's Newtown business carries out a variety of screen printing.