‘The time is right’ - South Shields’ Saveloy King announces he is stepping down
The head of Dicksons has announced he is stepping down from the family food firm.
The man who has spent his life building and nurturing Dicksons has announced that he is set to step down from the South Shields food firm.
Michael Dickson has decided to step back from his role and allow the next generation of Dicksons to shine.
Now in its 73rd year, the first shop was opened by Michael’s parents, Michael Irwin and Helen Dickson, on Prince Edward Road.
Michael was just 14-years-old when his dad passed away - leaving his mother and elder sister, Christine, with the responsibility for the two shops and more than 30 members of staff.
Once he left school, Michael and Christine slowly brought the business to profitability before carrying forward the family name to open more shops, growing the work force and eventually building their current South Shields factory.
‘I think the time is right’
Michael has reflected on what it was like to take over the business and has stated that even though he is stepping back, he will still be on hand to offer advice.
The 74-year-old said: “Looking back at everything that happened, it is amazing how we’ve ended up where we are today.
“Christine had a two-year head start on me and she had already been working Saturdays and holidays as a teenager when dad died, she was always amazing with numbers and nobody’s fool, you couldn’t get anything past her.
“Originally, my parents thought I was going to get a ‘proper job’ after finishing education and while I also loved the business, I did struggle early on to find my place in it when it seemed to come so effortlessly to Christine.
“I’m not completely vanishing, I’ll still be there to offer up advice and suggestions when needed.
“I’m simply taking a step back from having daily input, this will give me more free time, but I will still chair quarterly board meetings and attend monthly management meetings.
“I think the time is right.
“We’ve a particularly strong senior team and always been blessed with great people throughout the business many of whom are long service as in many family companies.”
Creating a successful business
Michael has also given an insight into how he and Christine turned Dicksons into the business that people know today.
He commented: “I was obsessive, Christine was telling me to stop buying businesses and more sites - we needed to start making profits.
“It eventually made sense for us to open a purpose-built factory to give us access to the growing, large retailer and food service market. But to be honest we needed to as the factory costs were drowning us in debt.
“We couldn’t stop even if we wanted, we had to keep going, it was such a massive learning curve for us.
“But we kept at it and this is why I always say stamina is so important, we didn’t give up, we changed and adapted whenever we needed to, we always did what we believed was right for the business.”
Plans for retirement
Further tragedy occurred when Christine passed away in 2013 - with the pair agreeing that the business should remain family-owned before her passing.
As Michael looks ahead to more free time, he is adamant that he won’t be taking up any new hobbies like golf or gardening.
He has stated that he will enjoy more mountain walking, reading and spending time with his wife, Marisa.