002 May 2008
The UK recovered paper business now run by father and son team Mike and Stuart
Nicholls began life more than half a century
ago in rather inauspicious surroundings – spe-
cifi cally, a disused stable belonging to the local
undertakers. However, the fi rm has gone on to
establish a strong presence in the London area
not only as a recovered fi bre processor but also
for its confi dential shredding service.
Nicholls & Pearce (Waste Paper) Ltd was
formed in 1956 by Mike’s father and uncle –
respectively Alfred ‘Nick’ Nicholls and Fred
Pearce – close to the famous Elephant & Castle
in south-east London. Shortly afterwards, the
company moved to larger premises off the Old
Kent Road before, in the early 1960s, setting
up its headquarters in Charlton. In 1978, the
company built a factory in Lombard Wall that
it still occupies today and acquired a further
site in the late 1980s. Located near the Black-
wall Tunnel, this houses the fi rm’s confi dential
paper destruction service and operates under
the name Lombard Recycling, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Nicholls & Pearce. In total, the
company employs 20 people.
Following the company’s move into confi den-
tial shredding, total processed tonnage across
its two sites is now below 500 tonnes per week,
but the company remains extremely active both
in the domestic and export markets. Almost all
the material from the shredding operation is
sold in the UK or into other EU countries, but
from Lombard Wall the company exports as far
afi eld as India, China and the Far East, and also
Northern Europe. The company produces a
number of grades including: best whites; white
heavy letter; coloured heavy letter; multigrade;
mixed papers; OCC; printed scanboard; and
poly-coated milk carton.
Father & Son
Mike Nicholls – a Past President of leading UK
body the Independent Waste Paper Processors
Association (IWPPA) – and his son Stuart have
been working together at family recovered paper
firm Nicholls & Pearce since the 1980s. Agreement
on business-related decisions may prove elusive on
occasions, but both men have clearly retained their
passion for the industry as well as their shared
sense of humour.
A shared passion
for the paper
business
By Ian Martin
Mike and Stuart Nicholls have been working together at family
recovered paper fi rm Nicholls & Pearce since the 1980s.
RI_027_Father&son-Nich&Pearce.indd 2 14-05-2008 13:54:19
