Tag Archives: Timber Supplier

Business, Business News, Newport, Wales

Premier Forest Products marks year of internal growth amongst tough timber times

Leading UK timber supplier, Premier Forest Products, is celebrating a strong financial year, despite challenging market factors.

Having experienced rapid growth in the immediate aftermath of the Covid pandemic, the timber sector has faced a tougher period recently, which has had an impact on profits industry-wide. To counteract this, Premier Forest has invested heavily in acquisitions and internal growth, increasing their team to over 400 across 19 sites UK-wide.

CEO and Co-Founder Terry Edgell, said: “The past two years have brought many challenges to our top line growth as we have seen continued depreciation of product value, but core volume has increased, thanks to aggressive and targeted growth in market share by our sales teams. In a tumultuous time for the timber industry, the value of group turnover has remained static, propped up by our acquisitive policies and underlying volume growth, which must be celebrated.

“Acquisitions have always been at the heart of our growth plan, whether in response to customer demand or to scale the business’s reach. This year we’ve successfully expanded our product range and geographical presence, with new sites in Essex and London serving a host of new customers.”

Premier Forest acquired Bitus UK from Swedish company Bergs Timber in November, followed by Stairway Joinery Ltd, a specialist in the design and manufacture of bespoke staircases for residential and commercial buildings. They also secured a 51% stake in Fforest Timber Engineering.

In the last 12 months, Premier Forest has invested heavily in machinery capabilities, investing over £1million in equipment across the business, specifically at the Duchy Timber, Premier Forest Haverfordwest and Decorpanel Newport branches.

They have also focused on product launches, with the Premier Platinum range of fencing timber, specifically targeted at the agricultural sector, released in September, and a new range of acoustic fence panels launched in July.

Most recently, Premier Forest has introduced the world’s first fire-retardant and water-resistant plywood, DryGuard FR in February 2025. The one-of-a-kind product was exclusively created in response to customer demand.

Terry said: “Innovation is key to future-proofing the business. We’ve taken advantage of the tough market conditions of the last year and have invested in ourselves, enabling us to be well placed to deal with upturn in demand.

“We are anticipating a period of rapid turnover growth as a result of our recent acquisitions, alongside a period of product inflation in timber that will drive organic value; this will either arise on the back of demand generated by the anticipated house build policy, or from a further curtailment of production across the world as we have already seen in the last 12 months. Our investment over the last year will have placed us in a great position to deal with the upturn and ensure we retain our position as a market leader across the UK.”

Premier Forest Products is a vertically integrated timber operation engaged in the importation, processing, machining, engineering and wholesale distribution of timber and timber products from its multiple sites in the UK.

Construction, Construction News

Sound solution from Premier Forest Products as they launch new acoustic fence panels

LEADING UK timber specialist Premier Forest Products has further expanded its product offering with the launch of a new range of acoustic fence panels.

 

Manufactured in the UK, the fence panels, which have been tested and rated to achieve a noise reduction of 26 decibels (dB), are suitable for residential, commercial and public sector properties.

 

The panels have been designed and engineered to reflect sound from motorways, roads, railways and other noisy environments, significantly reducing the impact of noise pollution.

 

Measuring from 1.8m high, the panels are anti-climb to deter intruders and provide an extra level of privacy for properties. The robust panels feature horizontal tongue and groove ‘V’ joint boards, which are machined from premium quality, joinery grade Scandinavian redwood.  The boards are interlocked and then bonded with an acoustic sealant for enhanced acoustic performance.

 

For versatility, Premier offers two types of acoustic panel, for different applications and project sizes. These are the Duchy Acoustic Fence for homeowners looking for an acoustic solution, and the Premier Reflect Acoustic Barrier for large-scale projects where flexibility with installation is needed.

 

The wider Premier Reflect panels cover a greater area for a faster fit and can be mixed and matched by size, stackable up to a height of 5m.

 

Dave Say, UK Softwood Products Commercial Manager, said: “Made from responsibly sourced certified timber, these barriers are the ideal solution in a wide range of scenarios ranging from houses near railway lines, to schools hoping to minimise their impact on the local community.

 

“Naturally, our solutions meet the specifications required for acoustic barrier, but we very much listened to our customers when developing the range, which offers a choice of sizes for versatility when it comes installation. It is our hope that these barriers will become the go-to solution for our customers looking to prioritise noise reduction.”

 

Premier Forest’s acoustic fence solutions are manufactured in accordance with BS1793 and are fully pressure treated to NHSS4 (National Highways Treatment Specification).  The robust panels have a desired service life of 15 years, out of ground contact.

 

Premier Forest Products is a vertically integrated timber operation engaged in the importation, processing, merchanting, and wholesale distribution of timber and timber products from its multiple sites in the UK.