Stairlift company opens sales offices in Cottingley so you can buy direct – join the team; apply now for jobs

Now Homelife Stairlifts, a household name in manufacturing and supplying these home adaptations, has opened up a dedicated retail office so that customers can deal directly with them from initial enquiry through to installation and beyond.

Open up your home with a stairlift

The new sales team, which will be based in Cottingley, will handle enquiries and sales from across the UK, all under the watchful eye of a woman with a genuine passion for the business – Joanne Kennedy.

“I don’t think it’s too much to say that what we do changes lives,” she said. “A stairlift provides you with a lifeline to the upstairs of your home and a lot of people discount that.”

Joanne has seen the average age of a stairlift buyer fall over the years, as more people want to remain independent in their own homes and are pro-active about ensuring they can remain in it as long as possible.

Discerning homeowners are futureproofing their homes by fitting stairlifts before they are needed– rather than waiting for a ‘crisis’ moment when one is needed urgently, or sometimes need one for a short period of recuperation after illness or injury.

But whether it’s a planned purchase or an emergency necessity, Homelife has the experience and the skills to act quickly and can assess, measure, manufacture and fit a bespoke stairlift in around a week. More straightforward fittings – literally straight up and down stairs with no curves or turns - .can be made in a couple of days.

The speed of supply is thanks to being part of the Bespoke group of companies, which has been manufacturing straight and curved appliances since 2003.

Recent investment in the manufacturing side, which takes place at the factories in Bradford & Huddersfield, means the raw materials can be measured, cut, bent, welded, shot blasted, painted and despatched within days, all under one roof – a truly British manufacturer.

It also means Homelife Stairlifts has that knowledge and expertise behind it to tackle the trickiest of stair designs. And because Bespoke stairlifts sit flush to the wall, leaving the tread of the stairs accessible for anyone walking up and down as normal.

“There are very few staircases where we cannot manage to accommodate a lift,” says Joanne.

One of the assessors in the office will take initial calls to discuss the customers’ situation, circumstances and needs. As Joanne points out, the first thing to establish is if the customer needs a stairlift and why, which will help them find the right solution.

Next arrangements are made to visit the customer at home, assess the stairs and measure up to provide a quote, if the customer wishes to order, it will be manufactured and fitting takes just a few hours.

Meet the boss

Joanne Kennedy has had decades of experience in helping people find the right stairlift solution for their home. Her background in the industry has been interspersed with other roles- she began in banking and share dealing, is a qualified accountant and has worked for lighting and beauty products too. Her work has taken her across the globe, from Florida to Russia, the mountains of Canada to the heat of Mumbai.

But whatever she’s turned her hand to, Joanne has the knack of turning a fledgling team into a thriving enterprise. Now she’s back in her native Yorkshire, where she’s in charge of setting up and growing Homelife Stairlifts – and not only is she enthusiastic about its future, she’s looking for others to come along with her on the journey.

“I like to see something grow,” says Joanne. “Success will not just be to see the company to be growing profitably, but being part of a company providing an excellent service to a sector that is potentially vulnerable. It’s not just about how many sales we get on the board, it’s how many lives we have changed.”

Job opportunities

“These are not the usual call-centre jobs,” says Joanne. “I’m looking for colleagues who want to make progress and see a career develop,” she said.

There are roles in the assessment team and in the office, as well as out in the field. And the company is offering apprenticeships too including in finance, servicing and on the shop floor.

“It’s an opportunity to join a growing stairlift brand,” says Joanne, who knows first-hand how satisfying it can be to be part of a growing and thriving business.

Find out more

Learn more about Homelife Stairlifts by visiting the website here. And if you wish to apply for any of the opportunities send your CV and a covering letter to [email protected].