Albert Looms, a Derby scrapyard with over a century of history, is set to close down. Located on Megaloughton Lane in Spondon, near the A52, the company announced this week that after 104 years, “it was time to call it a day.”
The closure will be phased, and a final trading date has not yet been determined.
In their announcement, the company expressed gratitude: “The Albert Looms staff wish to thank each and every one of you for your custom over the years.”
Founded in 1920, Albert Looms initially focused on demolition work and dismantling railway rolling stock, facilitated by a direct rail link from Chaddesden Sidings. The business transitioned to car dismantling and parts in the early 1970s.
Ray Kirk, operations manager, told the BBC that the announcement received a surprising amount of positive feedback:
“To be honest, the reaction’s been fantastic. We’ve had lots of supportive messages, with people wishing us luck and reminiscing. We’ve been doing this for a lot of years, and the comments show we must have got something right.”
The decision to close was made by the firm’s directors, who felt that now was the right time to shut down the business.
The message on their website reads:
“This message is for all our loyal customers. The Directors of Albert Looms have made the decision that after 104 years of trading it is time to call it a day. They have been directors for many, many years and feel this is the time to close the doors. This Facebook page has been managed by myself, Ray Kirk, the Operations Manager and although it saddens me, I have had a difficult 12 months of cancer treatment, so I also feel it’s time to go, and back the Directors decision. Myself and the Albert Looms staff wish to thank each and every one of you for your custom over the years. It will be a phased closure so no date set at this time, we will post updates as and when they are agreed.”
