Formed in 1840, under the name Suttons, Ernest Lawson purchased the Company in 1927 from his then employers, creating E. M. Lawson Ltd.

Initially the Company was involved in both the tool and sporting goods trade, but as World War II approached, the need for sports equipment declined, and E. M. Lawson Ltd. concentrated on the industrial trade.

Over the years E. M. Lawson Ltd. expanded and consolidated its position in the market, gaining a reputation for quality, service and integrity.

In 1958 the Company changed its name to E. M. Lawson & Son Ltd., to reflect family involvement.

Moving several times to larger premises, in 2010 the current address was acquired, an impressive purpose built 13,500 sq. ft. warehouse with trade counter.

A founder member of the T.H.S. Tools Ltd. buying consortium, E.M. Lawson & Son Ltd., were able to compete against the national groups on pricing policies, assuring its continued success.

1980 saw the Company go fully computerised, then a relatively new concept in business management; ledgers, stock, payroll were all included.

Over the years the Company ventured into other fields: Construction, Art and Photography Services, projects that were brought to fruition and sold to create capital for further expansion programmes. We do however now concentrate on the business we know and understand best, industrial supplies.

1992 saw the family firm E.M. Lawson & Son Ltd merge with a protective clothing and safety product distributor Hants Industrial Supplies Ltd., becoming Lawson H.I.S. Ltd. The new company is uniquely placed to provide the single source solution to an unparalleled range of industries competitively, both quickly and efficiently.

In 1994, once again taking the lead, we set up our own web site through our then wholly owned subsidiary UK industry Web Pages Ltd.

Now probably the largest independent in central southern England, we supply a wide range of industries, both nationally and internationally, and pride ourselves on the service given.

As a result of our successful history we are now stockists for most of the reputable brand names in the engineering, storage and protective coatings industries.

Lawson H.I.S. Today

The company remains independent. 50% owned by the Lawson family, represented on the Board by Beverley Goddard, grandaughter of founder Ernest Lawson, and 50% owned by the other two Board members Paul Lyons and Tony Swales, who prior to the merger, owned Hants Industrial Supplies Ltd.