News 11 www.aftermarketonline.net SEPTEMBER 2026 Laser Tools becomes an Employee-Owned Trust The Tool Connection, the company behind the wellknown Laser Tools brand, has officially become an Employee-Owned Trust (EOT) to secure its future as an independent, employeeowned business. Launched on 2 June 2026, the Trust now holds a controlling shareholding in the company on behalf of its employees, ensuring ownership remains focused on the long-term success of the business and the people who help drive it forward every day. The move to become an EOT comes as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary. Founded by Martin Smith in 1976, the company has grown from humble beginnings selling kindling at local markets into one of the UK’s leading suppliers of professional automotive and workshop tools, employing more than 158 people across its Southam headquarters and Sheffield manufacturing operation. The move to employee ownership fulfils a vision held by the company’s founder, Martin Smith, for many years. Eddie Altham, Tool Connection’s Managing Director, said: “Martin always believed that the people who helped build the company should share in its future. “The Employee Ownership Trust allows us to honour that vision while continuing to invest, innovate and grow for the long term. “The launch of the M.T.S. Employee Ownership Trust is a landmark moment for The Tool Connection. Employee ownership protects the independence of the business, preserves the culture that has made us successful and ensures our employees remain at the heart of everything we do.” A special launch event to mark the official beginning of the EOT brought together employees from across the organisation to celebrate the occasion and learn more about the future of the business under employee ownership. As part of the new governance structure, representatives from across the business’s 158 employees, alongside management and independent trustees, will help oversee the Trust on behalf of all of the company’s employees.
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