Worksop entrepreneur celebrates milestone 80th birthday and seven decades in business

John Pepper, co-founder of warehousing, distribution and property business Carlton Forest Group, has celebrated his 80th year and his seventh decade in business, having diversified from pig farming to the logistics sector during his career.

The father-of-two also has a presentation plaque commemorating his family’s involvement in the restoration of the historic Lady Chapel at Worksop Pr iory.

Diane Ward, chief operating of ficer at the Carlton Forest Group, said: “John has an amazing history of entrepreneurial spirit and fell into working in the warehouse and distribution sector a little by accident, but with a whole heap of determination.

“Over the years he stored and distributed a whole host of products from agricultural fertiliser to steel bars and now he is proud to see how the business is evolving in the 21st century to be a third party logistics specialist partner to so many diverse businesses.”

John ventured into the logistics industry in the mid 1970s, deciding to put his orange Bedford van, that had been used for delivering pigs to market, to good use.

He began delivering and storing product for Smiths Flour Mill in Worksop, which is now Whitworth Brothers, and within a few years had established the largest inland storage depot for fertiliser servicing the farming industry.

In the early 1990s, his son Mark Pepper joined the business and began to focus on more diverse products to establish itself as a well-respected storage and distribution centre.

Mark said: “It has been very rewarding to see the business evolve over the decades and establish a successful business on the back of what dad started all those years ago.

"As he begins to take a little bit more time for himself, we look forward to sharing our continued successes with him.”

John still has an extremely keen interest in all aspects of the business and pops in for a coffee most days.

In his spare time, John enjoys joinery and gardening. He has a partner, Anita, and two adult children, Mark and Maryanne.