This October will mark 20 years since Dougie Hannaby joined Lanchester Wines, although his history at the Lanchester Group site on Greencroft Estate started before the company even arrived.
Dougie’s career on the Greencroft Estate and in warehousing began at P/M Packaging before working across the site at Pimpernells in Unit 4 – now home to his own office. When that business went into liquidation, Dougie was offered a role by Peter Clark, the then warehouse manager for Lanchester Wines.
“When I started, there were only three of us working in the bonded warehouse, which at the time was just Unit 2 on the Estate,” Dougie recalls. “We’ve since taken over the entire building and Lanchester Wines alone employs nearly 40 warehouse staff here, plus more across our external warehouses.”
Today Dougie oversees them all, handling major operational issues and keeping the warehouse running efficiently.
Dougie’s day centres on space management, stock movements from Greencroft Bottling, and coordinating orders for customers and the sales team. “It’s basically about making sure we’ve got the right people in the right place so jobs get done properly,” he says. He works closely with Assistant Warehouse Manager Nic Jamieson to manage staffing and training, ensuring orders leave on time and to the highest quality, with waggons loaded safely and correctly.
Despite having worked in warehousing since leaving school, Dougie credits much of his development to Lanchester Wines. “I’ve learned all this on the job, but the Board put trust in people who want to grow; I was able to bring in my own ideas and I designed our warehouse layout to maximise space because space is a premium. I also introduced the procedures that keep everything running smoothly.”
Why has he stayed for two decades? Dougie doesn’t hesitate:
“Honestly, because I love working for Veronica and Tony (Cleary – the owners of The Lanchester Group). They’ve given me so much over the years, I’m trusted to get on with the job and to do what’s best for the business. From day one I’ve grown and thrived.”
It really is a family affair. Dougie’s son Connor has worked at Lanchester Wines for six years, progressing from the packhouse to warehouse supervisor. His fiancée Nic works alongside him too. She originally worked at Greencroft Bottling, but during Covid staff were split into bubbles and, as they lived together, it made sense for them to work in the same office. Nic later took on warehouse training and became Assistant Warehouse Manager.
“This is a real family business,” Dougie says. “My own family, the ownership, everyone is trusted to thrive.”
From starting as a supervisor to becoming assistant manager, then stepping up when Peter retired, and finally being promoted to Operations Manager last year, Dougie’s career is a story of commitment, trust and progression – rooted firmly in the community he grew up in.
“I’m from Stanley,” he says with a smile. “This place has been a huge part of my life.”
If you would like to find out more about Greencroft Bottling and Lanchester Wines, visit their websites: www.greencroftbottling.com and www.lanchesterwines.co.uk
