This week marks a landmark 80th Anniversary for long-term partner and friend to MBP, the Gratte Brothers Group.
Founded from humble beginnings in 1946 as an electrical contractor by brothers Derrick and Andre Gratte, with a start-up capital of £100 - the equivalent of 20 weeks’ wages for skilled tradespeople at the time - today, the Gratte Brothers Group has an annual turnover in excess of £250 million, and is one of the UK’s leading providers of comprehensive building services.
From initial offices in Knebworth, Hertfordshire and Holborn, London, the two brothers expanded their operations rapidly over the subsequent two decades, acquiring blue-chip clients across the retail and aviation sectors, whilst expanding their capabilities to include commercial catering equipment and its design and installation, as well as introducing second-generation family leadership to the business, through Derrick’s sons Martin and Ian.
Having turned over its first million in the 1960s post-war housebuilding boom, Gratte Brothers’ success continued into the 1970s, as the company’s vision and agile nature allowed it to pivot quickly into an expanding market for Design & Build contracts across mechanical and engineering, and it set up a dedicated division to service this both at home and internationally.
In 1987, as a young racing driver at the start of his career, a meeting with Ian Gratte (then Managing Director of Gratte Brothers) provided MBP Founder & CEO, Mark Blundell, the kickstart of a partnership now over four decades strong, and which perhaps most effectively summarises MBP’s philosophy of loyalty, trust and relationship-driven business.
Finding a commercial partner at the top of the motorsport ladder is relatively easy; finding one that will take a chance on a young talent is an altogether different prospect, but the Gratte Brothers chose to back Blundell, providing critical commercial backing as well as marketing support.
Ultimately, that support from the Gratte Brothers provided a platform for Blundell to go on and achieve success at the highest levels of motorsport, as a three-time Formula 1 podium finisher, multiple IndyCar race winner, and Le Mans 24 Hour winner with Peugeot in 1992, and now a successful entrepreneur.
“The relationship with Gratte Brothers has been integral to my career,” summarises Blundell.
“They were my first corporate sponsor, and I’m incredibly proud of how it has evolved over the last four decades. I’m very fortunate to count Ian and his family not just as partners, but as friends, and we have a lot of special memories together.
“Much as their support helped me to go on and achieve the heights that I did in both motor racing and in business, it’s a real pleasure for me to see that they continue to go from strength to strength, ahead of such a landmark year.”
Around the time of Blundell’s success in the 1990s, Gratte Brothers moved into Regent’s Wharf, its London HQ to this day, and established Gratte Brothers Catering Equipment and Gratte Brothers Security Management as equally successful subsidiaries of the Group.
Third-generation family expertise arrived in the 2000s through David and Steve Gratte and Chris Bass, a third grandson of Derrick’s - all of whom were appointed to the Board a decade later - and the business added new offices in Belfast and Warrington and a new M&E Maintenance Division.
Throughout Gratte Brothers’ remarkable growth, the partnership with MBP has continued to evolve from the race track to the board room, both as a member of MBP’s prestigious Partner Programme, one of the UK’s most exclusive B2B networks, and through sponsorship of Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, Blundell’s team in the British Touring Car Championship.
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At the recent Brands Hatch round, Gratte Brothers used the team’s premium hospitality experience to reward their staff, family and friends, who continue to epitomise everything that Gratte Brothers stand for - high performance, integrity and creating a people-centric culture, both internally and with their customers. It’s family values meets corporate excellence, and created an unforgettable experience for all in attendance.
“It’s a phenomenal achievement for any business to reach 80 years, but to have expanded as Gratte Brothers has, without compromising on its core values, is exceptional,” concludes Blundell.
“There’s no better blueprint for the people we like to go racing with, or deal with. It’s a privilege, and I’d like to wish Gratte Brothers Group a very happy 80th Anniversary.”