Hertfordshire Timber Supplies Ltd has completed the purchase of Southill Sawmills Ltd from the Whitbread family, allowing it to undertake large-scale investment in the company.
The sale saw Hertfordshire Timber Supplies spend £200,000 on the firm, which includes sawmilling operations, a treatment plant and three acres of storage space.
Letchworth-based Hertfordshire Timber Supplies had previously run Southill Sawmills, which produces field gates, trellis panels and low-level joinery, as part of an agreement with the Whitbread family, who invested in the timber company when it was established seven years ago.
Steve Grover, a director at Hertfordshire Timber Supplies, described the purchase as a “logical step” and said that it would allow a further £200,000 to be spent on developing the site near Biggleswade in Bedfordshire.
“Now the sale is complete, we have earmarked money to develop the site, increase storage and add buildings and plant,” said Mr Grover. “We plan to make it a stand-alone depot serving Bedfordshire, allowing the Letchworth site to serve Hertfordshire and the south.”
Mr Grover added that the development of Southill Sawmills will include the addition of lorries and drivers, making it further self-reliant.
The combined companies currently employ around 30 people, with two more positions being recruited and future growth offering the potential to create six more, according to Mr Grover.
The Whitbread family, famous for their brewing history, is to maintain an interest in Southill Sawmills, owning a third of Hertfordshire Timber Supplies and Samuel Whitbread remaining a director with the company.
