Weds 16th October 2024
Anthony Groves’ father, Don, was always striving for success, but like many in the 70s and 80s he needed a few attempts before finding the best route for him and his family. Anthony’s earliest memories are of a family on the move, from his birthplace in a Wiltshire village near Salisbury, through West London, Larkfield and then Biddenden. All because his father was adept at managing newsagents, either starting them up or troubleshooting when they went wrong.
But life became a little more settled in Kent, with Don taking on a range of jobs that involved driving, before settling to run a campsite shop and social club. However, in time that was left behind too when an opportunity to buy out a local removals firm resulted in the establishment of D C Groves and Son in 1981. The company was set up from the start as a family business, with the expectation that Anthony would take over in due course. He began his post-school career by joining the firm in order to learn the ropes.
Don was a somewhat impulsive businessman, with new removals trucks sometimes turning up quite unexpectedly, once when the intention was just to carry out repairs on an existing one! He also tried a foray into parcel delivery on behalf of Tufnell’s as a means of tiding over winter months when few removals take place, but the deliveries were not a profitable endeavour.
Don passed away in 1992 whilst working on a removals job, a shock to all in the business and propelling Anthony to the helm very unexpectedly. However, his more measured approach to business resulted in D C Groves and Son taking fewer impulsive risks, instead building the business to the point where his wife Karen now works there too, with business partner and best friend Ian joining in 2004. They have long offered storage and shipping services, and after many years using the current Old Dairy Taproom as a warehouse, they are proud to now have an 18,000 ft2 storage warehouse in Rye.
And the model truck? That excellent talking point and marketing prop was acquired at an auction at the Christmas dinner of the British Association of Removals some years ago. In typical Anthony fashion, he waited for a year when bids were low, ending up with a relative bargain!