Introducing GAMBICA’s next member of the month – Scientific Laboratory Supplies (SLS)
Scientific Laboratory Supplies (SLS) is the UK's largest independent supplier of laboratory equipment, chemicals, and consumables. With a focus on providing high-quality products and exceptional customer service, SLS caters to a wide variety of industries, including universities, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, life science companies, and many others.
Fact file:
- Founded in Nottingham in 1991, SLS has steadily expanded its presence, opening a Scottish office in 1999, acquiring Analab in Ireland in 2016, and launching an office in Kenya in 2019
- SLS now employs over 300 staff members across its offices, reflecting the company’s sustained growth and commitment to excellence
- In October 2024, SLS was awarded the EcoVadis Gold Medal for its responsible business practices, placing the company in the top 5% of businesses worldwide for sustainability performance
Superstar staff member = Neil Foster - Commercial Lead Inventory and CI
Not many can say they’ve spent 30 years at the same company and loved the journey. Neil has, and this year, he celebrates three decades with SLS. In his own words, here’s what has made the ride worthwhile...
Neil said: “Broadly speaking, my role at SLS is to help reach company financial targets and objectives. This involves working closely in the main with our operations, procurement and customer services teams, plus the external sales team to ensure these requirements are reached.
"The most enjoyable aspect of this is the interaction with these different teams and the variety of work this throws up, however challenging that may be – thus no one day is ever the same.
"I’ve stayed at SLS for a long time because it has been a privilege to be a part of an organisation that has grown from humble origins to its current size, without losing its sense of identity and core values which I have tried my hardest to live up to.”
Interesting insight…
At SLS, professionalism is at the heart of everything we do - but that doesn’t mean we don’t know how to laugh along the way. One of our most unique (and entertaining) traditions is the infamous SLS Sales Meeting Fines.
During our national sales meetings, where the whole team comes together to share updates, insights, and big ideas, we also leave room for a for a bit of fun and friendly banter. Staff members can find themselves “fined” for cheeky behaviour and light-hearted antics. It’s all in good humour, and more importantly, it’s all for a good cause.
Every penny of these fines goes to charity, and SLS proudly matches every donation. In 2025, the team raised an impressive £515, matched by the board for a grand total of £1030 that went to Downright Special, a fantastic charity making a real difference in the lives of children with Down syndrome. In 2024, a particularly mischievous meeting saw £549 raised for Macmillan Cancer Support, with SLS matching it for a total of £1098.
It's just one of the ways we blend fun, teamwork, and social impact - because at SLS, we take our work seriously… just not ourselves!