8 | UK News
Premier Forest Products acquires Bitus UK from Bergs Timber
Above: The Bitus UK operation at Creeksea
Premier Forest Products has continued on the acquisition trail by acquiring the trade and assets of Bitus UK Ltd – formerly known as Continental Wood Products – from Bergs Timber.
Bitus UK is an importer and bulk distributor of timber, panels and garden products serving industrial manufacturing, furniture-making, construction and merchanting sectors.
Premier Forest Products will take on the operation of Bitus UK’s warehousing and distribution activities at the Baltic Distribution port-side facility based in Creeksea, Essex, as well as the Bitus UK sales office in Cirencester, where all members of staff have been retained. Nigel McKillop, CEO of Bitus UK, joins Premier Forest Products as commercial director, specialising in softwood and the furniture sector.
Mr McKillop said joining Premier provided a platform to strengthen and to grow and develop a much wider product range for its customers from the Creeksea distribution hub. “We’re very happy to welcome Bitus UK to the Premier Forest group,” said Terry Edgell, CEO and co-founder at Premier Forest Products.
“The strategic dockside location of the site will enable us to improve operational
efficiency by providing a more direct route to our customer base. We plan to expand the range of products distributed from Creeksea to include our whole portfolio, which includes the full range of softwoods, hardwoods and sheet materials, in order to create a one-stop-timber-shop for our customers. “Acquisitions are a key part of Premier Forest’s strategic growth plan, and we are continually seeking new opportunities to welcome businesses like Bitus UK to our Group,” added Mr Edgell.
The operational activities of the Premier Forest Products Langley site are re-locating to Creeksea in Essex, to take advantage of the logistical efficiencies of the port-side distribution facility.
The Langley sales team will continue to work from a location in the local area, supporting customers in the south-east region as usual.
James Jones & Sons acquires HG Timber Travis Perkins CEO highlights early signs of recovery
James Jones & Sons Ltd has announced the expansion of its UK Pallets & Packaging Division through the acquisition of HG Timber Ltd, based in Buckingham. HG Timber started trading in 1945 and is currently under the third-generation management of the Theodoulou family. The business is one of the most modern and well-respected operators in the pallet and packaging and racking sectors and has benefitted from a progressive investment philosophy over the last few years. “We are absolutely delighted to welcome HG Timber and its employees into the James Jones & Sons Ltd Group, and this acquisition represents the conclusion of many years of dialogue and discussion between both families,” said Tom Bruce- Jones, chairman of James Jones & Sons Ltd. “Their reputation, expertise and geographical location add a further dimension to our national network, and we believe this will greatly enhance our ability to service both our local and national customer base.”
HG Timber operates eight high speed automated and robotic production lines producing 2-way and 4-way pallets, with the capacity to manufacture in excess of 1.8 million timber products every year on a single shift basis. Critically, the company has just commissioned its latest Viking Turbo line, which will further
enhance production capabilities. “The vision and investment in cutting- edge automated production lines at HG Timber closely align with the philosophy we’ve adopted at James Jones & Sons,” added Peter McKenzie, managing director of James Jones & Sons Pallets & Packaging Division. “Together, we are poised to offer an unrivalled national service while maintaining the highest standards in pallet and packaging quality. This acquisition will also enable us to broaden our product offering in both pallets and racking systems. I have known Alistair and his team for many years, and their experience and drive will be invaluable as we move forward.”
“This has been a momentous decision for my family and Laurence Pyle, sales director of HG Timber Ltd, but we are confident that the next chapter of our family’s legacy will be in very safe hands within the James Jones family business,” said Alistair Theodoulou, managing director of HG Timber. “I look forward, too, to working alongside Peter and his management team and to identifying further growth opportunities. This move will help to safeguard our jobs and will guarantee security of raw material supply within a vertically integrated forestry and sawmill business in order to benefit our enlarged customer base.”
TTJ | November/December 2024 |
www.ttjonline.com
Travis Perkins has reported some “very early signs of recovery” in key end markets but expects growth will be slow. New chief executive of Travis Perkins plc
Pete Redfern, commenting in the Group’s Q3 trading update, also said that the Group had allowed itself to become “distracted and overly internally focused” which has led to under performance in recent periods. “We now need to get back to a focus on operational execution – delivering great products and great customer service and better leveraging our reach and scale,” he said.
Mr Redfern will combine the roles of group chief executive and managing director of the Travis Perkins general merchant business to allow a shortening of reporting lines and development of a new strategy.
The Q3 results show a -8.2% decline in sales on a like-for-like basis (compared to a year ago) in the merchanting segment. The decline in revenue was driven by the general merchant business which has seen a loss of market share over the summer. The merchanting division saw a sales decline of 6.9% in the first nine months of the year.
UK News
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