Leading staircase and floorkit manufacturer Staircraft is exploring business growth potential with its new strategic partner the Summit Timber Group.
Travis Perkins sold Staircraft to Gait Consulting for £24m on May 1, 2025, in a move which effectively saw the company return to its original founder Andy Hamilton, who is the majority owner of Gait Consulting.
The move was supported by Summit Timber Group, which has a minority stake in the business.
“This marks an exciting return to our roots and reinforces our long-term commitment to the markets we serve,” Mr Hamilton commented after the move.
“As part of this process, we are pleased to announce a new strategic partnership with Summit Timber Group, who now hold a stake in the Staircraft business. This partnership brings additional industry expertise and resources that will support our future growth and continued investment in customer-focused solutions.”
Summit Timber Group was formed last year and comprises Hawthorn Timber and Cheshire Mouldings.
Hawthorn, based in Hull, supplies machined and treated softwood, panel products and cladding solutions across the UK and Ireland, while Cheshire Mouldings, located in St Helens, produces and distributes mouldings, stair parts, panelling, decking and joinery timbers, supplying the retail and merchant sectors.
Summit also took a majority shareholding in Selby-based contract wood machining business Swantech Ltd in April 2025.
Summit Timber Group chairman Tony Hackney told TTJ that the Group was excited about the Strategic Alliance with Staircraft.
Mr Hackney highlighted Summit’s distribution capacity and customer base as benefit to its partnership with Staircraft. He said both companies could help each other with knowledge transfer and markets, with many products in the Summit portfolio complimentary to what Staircraft does.
“The market needs more competition,” added Mr Hackney.
“The problem with the timber sector is the market stagnates with the very comfortable position it is in. I have always tried to do something different and give myself an advantage over competitors.”
Staircraft’s last published set of accounts relating to the full year 2023 show a pre-tax profit of £3.1m, down from £7.3m in 2022. Turnover was £64m, down from £79.9m in 2022.
Staircraft has three factories in Coventry and one in West Bromwich.
