Victoria Sawmills, a 123-year-old independent timber merchant, has been sold to the Fence Stores Group and will now trade as the Sidmouth Fencing Centre.
The new branch of Fence Stores is now operating from Colaton Raleigh, with all staff transferring to the new employer.
Victoria Sawmills, owned by Clinton Devon Estates, was a family business, established in 1887 with outlets in Merton near Okehampton as well as Colaton Raleigh.
The original sawmill’s function of the business in East Devon, from which Victoria Sawmills took its name, closed in the mid-1980s but the store continued to provide timber products to customers and trade.
In 2008 the retail outlet in North Devon was closed due to changes in the local market place and the downturn in the wider economy.
Investments in the Merton site put the focus on producing high quality gates under the Clinton Gates brand. The bespoke and standard gates are now sold to stockists across the UK from the Clinton Gates website.
“We will now be concentrating our efforts on further developing our Clinton Gates business which has seen increased demand over the past year from retailers right across Britain,” said John Wilding, of Clinton Devon Estates.
