Sales of M&M Timber‘s garden products have reached £1.2m less than a year after the company diversified into the sector.
The Kidderminster-based firm, which launched its garden range at last year’s GLEE show, said the products are likely to account for a quarter of all sales by the end of 2005.
M&M Timber had orginally expected a first-year turnover from garden products of about £1m.
Managing director Nigel Poyner said: “The enthusiastic response from the retail trade has been such that we have been hard pushed to keep up with demand. So much so, in fact, that the sales target has already soared well above our wildest expectations.”
He said the company had bucked the trend of poor sales expectations in the sector, with good weather buoying sales of products, which include decking kits, pergolas, arches, balusrades and trellis panels.
The company’s Unilog timber buildings have also proved popular with local authorities, landscape architects, property developers and the leisure industry.
M&M Timber has secured contracts with several independent garden cenre chains across the UK, including Wyevale.
Mr Poyner said the company was on target to grow overall business by 25% in 2005, hitting sales of around £5m. But he said sales of machined timber products for the landscaping business had fallen slightly.
Further investment at the Clows Top sawmill later this year will include a log grading line costing about £300,000.
