Covers Timber and Builders Merchant has announced the acquisition of Wingham Timber and Mouldings, based near Canterbury in Kent.

Wingham Timber is an independent timber merchant supplying construction grade timber, sheet materials, internal mouldings, wooden flooring, garden fencing and decking materials, along with timber for garden structures. It has a range of fencing manufacturing machinery, as well as moulders and a treatment plant.

Wingham Timber’s principal owners and directors, Beau Hart and Nigel Hylands, will continue their involvement with the business, with Beau assisting during a transitional period, and Nigel continuing to operate the business.

Nigel Hylands commented: “We see Covers as an ideal new home for Wingham with its family ownership and similar values. I look forward to continuing to run the business and overseeing the transition to a new General Manager in due course. We and Covers have already seen exciting possibilities for cross selling our mill products.”

Rupert Green, Covers’ Chairman, welcomed the Wingham team to the Covers Group: “We are delighted to bring such a well-run specialist timber business into Covers. The Wingham team bring a business that complements our different activities and gives the Group a greater geographical coverage and a source of new products for Covers customers.”

Henry Green, Covers’ Managing Director, said: “Wingham has a strong reputation in an area where Covers is not known, so the business will continue to be known as Wingham Timber, aside from some new products, its customers and staff should see very little change.

“We look forward to maintaining Wingham’s strong customer relationships and supporting Nigel and the team to explore additional opportunities to grow the business. Wingham has milling, treatment and fencing operations that we will work with to the benefit of all Covers customers.”

Covers was founded by William Cover in 1846 when it began trading in Chichester. Covers is celebrating its 175-year anniversary this year and operates from 14 locations in Hampshire, Sussex, Surrey and Kent, with its Mill and timber operation based in Chichester. Its values of having a dedicated team and being customer-focused, highly knowledgeable, and independent remain to this day.