Obituary: Derek Fletcher
12 November 2021The timber trade has been paying tributes to one of its longest-serving members who died recently – Derek Fletcher of DHH Timber.
Mr Fletcher was known as “Mr Birch” for his long association with the birch plywood trade and the fact DHH is the UK’s largest stockist of birch ply.
Joint owner of DHH Timber and Decor Solutions, Mr Fletcher was in his 63rd year of service in the timber trade in 2021.
His first role in the trade was a role at teak and hardwood importer Richard H Keeping, though earlier at aged just 10 he sold firewood from a barrow (steamed beech off-cuts from a company that made ladies' shoe heels).
After six months Bamberger’s bought the company and Mr Fletcher decided to move on. In 1963 he became a junior salesman for Denny Mott and Dixon.
In his first year he opened up an incredible 378 new accounts with no leads and became a top softwoods and plywood sales rep.
He earned the nickname Aladdin as he sold millions of cubic feet of teak to the lighting industry to make standard table lamps.
Denny’s, later trading as Mallison-Denny, was then taken over by Brooke Bond and Unilever, at which point he was promoted to sales director. He remembers the company owning a fleet of elephants in Thailand for moving wood.
He then moved on to William T Eden and then Saracen Timber where he grew the turnover from £3 to £10m in just over two years.
He later formed MDM (Malcolm, Derek and Mickey), before moving on again and establishing DHH Timber with joint owner David Francis.
For the past 25 years they have grown the business to offer what is regarded as the largest and most comprehensive stock range of birch plywood in the UK.
He had remained an active member of the Plywood Club of London and the UK’s Timber Trade Federation.
A memorial service will be held on November 25. Anybody who knew Derek and would like to attend should contact Nicola Hollington at nicola@dhhtimber.co.uk
The service will also be livestreamed for those who cannot attend.
Instead of flowers, the family have chosen three charities should you wish to donate, New Life Wood (https://www.newlifewood.org.uk/), the Timber Trades’ Benevolent Society and Cadger’s (Southend Hospitals Prostate cancer support group) via the donation page.
