History

Celebrating Our Journey and Building Our Future

Smith Brothers Leicester - Discover the Legacy

Smith Brothers Leicester is proud to be a family-run business that has grown through six generations over 125 years and continues to flourish.

SBL has diversified their business offering over the years, from retail, engineering, manufacturing and supply in the HVAC industry, to green energy solutions and, financial investment and support for other businesses in the Midlands. Here’s a little more about each area that makes up Smith Brothers Leicester:

Smith Brothers Leicester | Batten Street

Our Group of Companies

Visit our subsidiary companies below.

SBS Ltd

Smith Brothers Stores are a network of 20 retail locations across the UK supplying premier pipework, valves, and air conditioning solutions to contractors across the country. The head office for SBS remains in our home town of Leicester.

Air Plants Dust Extraction | Smith Brothers Leicester

Air Plants Dust Extraction Ltd

This SBL division pioneers cutting-edge solutions for workplace dust control. Air Plants Dust Extraction was launched in 1934 and is based in Leicester in the East Midlands. Air Plants manufacture industrial extractor fans, filters and systems – committed to safety, value and service.

Talbott's | Smith Brothers Leicester

Talbott's Biomass Energy Systems

Established in Staffordshire in the 1970s, Talbott’s Biomass Energy Systems champion renewable energy initiatives, curbing carbon emissions with efficient waste wood management and biomass heating systems tailored for industrial settings.

Charity and Philanthropy

SBL are committed to supporting worthy causes, and so with 0.5% of annual profits directed towards UK-based charities, we honour our century-long legacy of giving back, ensuring that our success echoes positively throughout society.

Meet our key staff and find out who leads and champions our business, or contact us to discuss any of our services.

Smith Brothers Leicester: Lending and investment

Through lending initiatives and strategic partnerships with Midlands-based financial service companies, Smith Brothers Leicester empowers enterprises across the UK, facilitating growth and prosperity.

Our investments in Midlands housing and commercial property further underscore our dedication to local communities.

Our Services

Brief History

On 1st March 1874 in Burton-on-Trent, our founder, Walter Smith was born. He grew into a man with exacting standards who was inherently entrepreneurial. Walter started his career as a Clerk at a local coal merchant in 1890. However, it was clear Walter was destined for greater things as he moved on quickly to a sales job with a mill furnishing company, James Pye & Co. the same year, becoming their most successful salesman. Then, within 7 years at Pye and at the age of just 23, Walter Smith broke away to begin his own machinery and engineering business from a small warehouse in Saffron Lane, Aylestone, Leicester.

Walter found a place for two of his brothers in the business, giving ‘Smith Brothers Leicester’ the name they’ve carried since. Together they fostered a firm dedicated to service, quality products and value for customers.

The success story of Smith Brothers Leicester is the epitome of hard work, tenacity and an entrepreneurial mindset. Delve into the rich tapestry of Smith Brothers Leicester’s evolution across diverse business realms, with our legacy timeline:

Company Timeline

1897
Founding of Smith Brothers (Leicester) in Saffron Lane, Aylestone, Leicester
1908
Smith Brothers advertises as specialists in dust extraction.
1910
Progressive Engineering Company formed to make fans at its works in Denton, Manchester.
1927
Packing firm Charles Bass acquired.
1934
Fan production moved to Brimscombe and forerunner of Air Plants formed.
1968

Smith Brothers Stores Ltd (SBS) formed. Death of Walter Smith.

1991
Chris Smith succeeds David Asher as Air Plants managing director.
2004
Apex Tube & Valves acquired.
2009
Talbott’s Biomass Energy Systems Ltd acquired.
2022
SBS Cambridge opened and the online customer portal is launched, fully integrating the business with customers on the web. SBL celebrates 125 years of trading.

Contact Us

To discuss any of our services, please contact us.