Episode 17

Moving Matters with Danny Pollard of Pollards Moving & Storage

00:00:00
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00:42:21

March 11th, 2021

42 mins 21 secs

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About this Episode

In this episode, Danny Pollard, Managing Director of Pollards Moving & Storage, discusses how he started in the industry some 20 years ago, working for a friend who’s business sadly went bust.

We discover after this Danny wrote a business plan and received a small loan from his parents, which he used to acquire the assets and formed Pollards Moving & Storage, some 16 years ago, and has since acquired Wades Removals in 2009/10, but primarily trade under the Pollards brand.

We discuss that Pollards Moving & Storage predominantly offer domestic home moving services but aim at the higher end of the market. They have a 10,000 sqft containerised storage facility and offer Commercial relocation and European & International albeit on a smaller scale.

We discover that for over 10 years Danny has collaborated with local charities on a ‘Gift Box’ scheme and explains that for those moving, Pollards provides the customer with boxes into which the customer packs their unwanted items, where they are then returned to store and finally distributed to local charity shops once the volume is large enough. The main charity that Danny supports is the Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust.

We discuss Danny’s challenges, the last recession being one of the hardest as Pollards were in financial difficulties, which Danny turned around after meeting his current wife, due to her positive influence upon him. The lockdown was another challenge where Danny struggled, feeling like he had let customers, staff, and his own family down as he cancelled approximately 30 house moves.

We discover two things that Danny would change from his past. Firstly, not to start out cheap, to believe in himself and to market himself more to the higher end of the market when he started, and he discusses how difficult it was to make the switch from being cheap in his area to being the most expensive, by adding value to the client. Secondly, to have undertaken his Class 2 and CPC, he hopes to address the latter this year.

We discuss Danny’s high points of being in the industry and it’s the people he’s created friendships and relationships with, another being asked to become the BAR Yorkshire Area Secretary and then Chairman, and then representing the area on the BAR National Council.

We discover the one thing Danny would change within the moving industry is public perception, yet again.

We discuss the advice Danny would give to a younger Danny, and its people and the investment placed in them, with Danny’s moto being; employ well, treat well, train well, where necessary.

We discover that over the next five years Danny sees continued growth and recognition of the Pollards brand within the Yorkshire region, and that he has a success story and business model that he would like to help others within the industry use. In the industry Danny sees a definite change in how they operate over the next couple of years where it will remain stagnant, but he still sees growth and hopes that the public will now see more value in the industry since the pandemic.

We discuss that outside of the industry Danny enjoys Huddersfield Town FC, where he and his children are season ticket holders. Danny also enjoys golf, activities with the children, weekends away with the wife, travel and general outdoor pursuits, but Danny does find it hard to switch off.

And as always we end Moving Matters with a funny moving story regarding a job to Aberdeen with a deeply religious 85 year old lady, and her 4 goldfish.

Enjoy!

Links to Pollards Moving & Storage: