Our Story

We recreated Thomas Jardine & Co to shine a light of the wealth of small and mid-sized businesses in our region. Those awesome entrepreneurs and generational family businesses with so many multifaceted skills. A fine borders family who have moved from Farmers to Grocers to C-Store Retailers to Coworking Space and Consulting. Not afraid to change as each generation brings their passion to the fore! Now in our 5th generation, we take all our history and heritage forward to work with leaders and leadership teams of small and mid-sized businesses

Generation 2

The 1920s arrive and the business is passed to Thomas and Mary’s niece May. May and her husband James McKenzie, (pictured with fabulous son Thomas Jardine), took the reins of this burgeoning business. A hard working couple who move the business forward, developing ranges of general merchandise, bulk foods and counter service operations, and develop a regional egg packing company! They have the external threats of both the first and second world wars to contend with!

Generation 3

Here we are in the 1950’s and the reign of Thomas Jardine McKenzie begins! Jardine ‘the reluctant recipient’ takes on the challenge on the death of his father and grows it in partnership with his mother May. They grow retail sites, a fleet of mobile shops, develop their own small distribution operation and open new style self-service retail supermarkets!

Generation 4 and 5

Here we are in the mid 1980’s! Jacqui (Jardine’s daughter) and husband Keith, leave their banking careers to join the Family Business. They transition grocery into a multi award winning Convenience Retail operation! Fast forward to the mid 2000’s they sell the business (keep the properties) and join the world of academia. Masters Degrees and a dalliance with PhDs they become Vice Chair of SPAR UK and University Researcher with key specialisms in leadership, action learning, economic geography, research, family business and SMEs….fast forward to the mid 2010’s the business becomes consultancy. Generation 5, Dan arrives and develops & drives The Guild, our Coworking arm, from which we operate and brother Luke establishes and builds Bruce and Luke’s Ltd with his awesome co-founder Bruce.

Family Business and Business Family….the story continues!

Generation 1

Generation 2

Generation 3

Generation 4 and 5

We're a 5th Generation Business