Perth firm which sells Christmas trees now owned by its 20 workers

A Perth Christmas tree and lights business which started at a kitchen table and grew to £3.5 million turnover is now owned by its 20 staff.

The Corporate Christmas Tree Company was set up by husband and wife Charlie and Fiona Cameron in 1998.

Initially, the business sold real Christmas trees and set up displays for business, but developed into selling artificial trees, baubles and lights.

It still sells to members of the public, but the majority of its income is from a diverse range of business customers, including film and television companies, prestigious retail stores, hospitality venues and town centre lighting projects.

Now the founders have sold the Inveralmond Industrial Estate company to an employee ownership trust (EOT).

Founder on growing Perth Christmas trees business

Mrs Cameron said she would never have imagined the company growing to its current size when it started.

She said: “We were newly married and Charlie was just coming out of the army and had six months to fill while doing resettlement courses.

“One of the officers was growing Christmas trees at the time and said, ‘why don’t you buy some trees?’

“We stuck up a few signs outside a cottage we were living in Danestone, Aberdeen, and it all started from there.

Fiona and Charlie with Corporate Christmas Tree Company Ltd staff. Image: Supplied

“We started to get some big businesses there ask us to also put up the trees and decorate them. It all grew from there.”

She said there had been many highlights in growing the business over the years.

They were a dot com pioneer, starting to sell trees over the internet before the millennium.

A few years later, a key decision was made to move into selling artificial trees. This involved travelling to the Far East to source high quality suppliers.

London-based Christmas display special DZD was acquired in 2018.

The company today operates under three trading businesses – Christmas Direct, DZD and Sparkling Lights. This year it will fulfil more than 20,000 orders.

Reasons for sale to Perth workers

Mrs Cameron said putting an emphasis on quality has been key to success.

She said protecting this ethos is one of the reasons for the decision to sell the company to staff.

She said: “We explored several sale options, but I felt very insecure about the way the business would be left if it was bought.

“I think that we’d have lost the ethos of it.

“Charlie and I discussed an EOT with some friends who’d done it and it felt like a win-win for everybody.

“It’s something really beneficial for the incredible team that we’ve got and it worked well for us.

The Perth business, which supplied Christmas trees and lights, counts Edinburgh’s Underbelly among its customers.

“We know the business is being run by people who know it best and who have its interests at heart.”

The founders will take a step back from the business on a day-to-day basis, although Charlie will remain a director.

Alasdair Seftor, operations director, said: “The sale of the business to an EOT is a perfect solution.

“It allows us to continue to serve our customers, while retaining the same talented members of staff, some of whom have been part of our team for over 10 years.

“We plan to continue to grow the business steadily. If we can continue to deliver what we’ve achieved over the last few years in terms of turnover and profitability, and maybe increase it a wee bit, that will be great.”