Heritage
The Story of IMP
Established in 1984 by Pamela and Roger Ralston, the company has family at its roots. Having a passion for sailing, Roger started to develop IMP’s portfolio with Dutch marine products GEBO Marine Glazing and Zwaardvis Pedestal Systems. With a growing number of customers, there came new requests and an expanding product range of emerging brands.
“All hands on deck”
The Ralston family worked together to build the business and the strong reputation it is well-known for today. Roger and Pam exhibited at many marine shows, ably assisted by their young daughters, Kate, Liz and Susannah. In the early days, IMP was based from the family home, so collaboration continued; from helping with customer calls, unloading large lorries carrying deliveries of marine products from Holland and Italy, it was always a team effort.
Expanding the Family Business
During the 1990s, IMP relocated to a small site in Essex, marking an important stage in the company’s development. Around this time, nephew Andy joined the team, beginning the next chapter of the business’s growth.
In the 2000s, IMP made a further strategic move to Hertfordshire, providing increased warehousing and distribution capacity to support continued expansion. This period also welcomed the second generation of the Ralston family into the business, with daughters Susannah and Liz, alongside Darren, joining the IMP team.
IMP continued to grow throughout the 2010s, with Chris Parr joining to strengthen the Sales Team. As the business expanded, we moved into a larger, purpose-built warehouse and office facility. During this period, our dedicated Administrative Team was established, with Dawn, Sashka and Kerry joining the company, alongside Gary, who took responsibility for Warehouse Logistics, and Ben.
In 2025, Stephen and Lara joined the team, strengthening IMP’s residential offering. James became part of the team in 2026.
Technological Developments
In line with the growth of IMP, as a team and as a supplier, our processes have streamlined to ensure we always work efficiently and uphold high standards for our customers and suppliers. IMP is proud to have the accreditation of ISO:9001 Quality Management Certification.
During the 2010’s, IMP implemented a CRM system to make the order process more efficient and increase productivity. Throughout the years, our main focus has always been to provide great products and great customer service. Everything we have done and continue to do at IMP is to maintain this standard and philosophy.
Get in touch with IMP today to find out more about us and what we can do for you.
