A Cambridgeshire hardwood merchant set up last year by several former staff of Atkins & Cripps now has 80 regular customers and turnover is increasing month-on-month.
Ely-based AC Timber Solutions Ltd, established by Duncan Mariott (formerly of Atkins & Cripps) and Max Enterkin, is already thinking about recruiting extra sales staff to serve its target market of joinery companies, carpenters and builders in Hertfordshsire. Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
“We have not done any advertising of the business,” said director Max Enterkin. “The business has come by word of mouth. A lot of people used to deal with Atkins & Cripps.
“If you look at Essex, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, there is a lot more business out there.”
Mr Enterkin said being a local business and the flexibility for customers to select their own timber products was proving popular.
He said AC Timber’s inventory was being increased every month with an additional species. Warehouse stock is currently valued at several hundred thousand pounds.
“In terms of market expectations, it’s quite tough out there, but we have developed good relationships with our suppliers and we are being prudent.”
Products being offered included beams, doors, external cladding, flooring and mouldings in a variety of species including European and American oak, walnut, sapele, ash, iroko, idigbo and European beech.
