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16
Aug
Harrogate builders merchant acquires local firm
Harrogate-based builders merchant GH Brooks has acquired Marsland Timber & Buildings Supplies.
GH Brooks has taken on the three former Marsland branches in Harrogate, Wetherby and Guisley.
The Harrogate site is at Readfearn's Yard on Grey Hill Rd, near Aldi.
These locations are in addition to GH Brooks' existing sites on Claro Road at Harrogate, Summerbridge and Easingwold, meaning the company now operates six branches.
GH Brooks has 44 employees and will now gain another 16, plus a fleet of five wagons.
The company celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and had been looking to expand for a number of years.
Andrew Broadwith, director at GH Brooks, said:
We are delighted. We managed to get Marsland because we are an independent business, and they wanted it to remain independent after there was no one left to take the company on.
It came at the right time, they were ready to sell and for us it was a case of finding the right site. We have wanted to move into Wetherby for 10 years, it was a great opportunity, and we have been patiently waiting for something to come up.
We have big plans to get more staff and more stock, we also plan to develop the Wetherby site. We are really excited, we had set a target of five branches 12 years ago we were just waiting for the right time.
Andrew Broadwith, director at GH Brooks
Timber specialist Marsland was established in 1850 and had been in the Marsland family for over 150 years.
The company will be entirely rebranded as GH Brooks, but Mr Broadwith said the process could take over six months.
It is the latest expansion for GH Brooks, which acquired its Summberbridge depot 12 years ago and its Easingwold depot off Galtres Timber six years ago.
Mr Broadwith added it would reassess the Marsland Harrogate depot and may decide to keep just one site in the town, which would reduce the number of branches to five.
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