Timber specialist Premier Forest Products has acquired the trade and assets of Bitus UK Ltd from Swedish company, Bergs Timber.
Bitus UK – formerly known in the trade as Continental Wood Products (CWP) – is an importer and bulk distributor of timber, panels and garden products serving construction, industrial manufacturing, furniture-making, and merchanting sectors.
Premier Forest will take on the operations of Bitus UK’s warehousing and distribution activities at the Baltic Distribution port-side facility based in Creeksea, Essex. Premier Forest has also taken on the business’ sales office in Cirencester, where all members of staff have been retained.
Additionally, the operational activities of the Premier Forest Products Langley site are re-locating to Creeksea 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 Southeast region as usual.
Nigel McKillop, CEO of Bitus UK, will join Premier Forest Products as commercial director, specialising in softwood and the furniture sector.
Commenting on the development, he said: “The Bitus UK team are delighted to be joining the Premier Forest family. Being a part of such an established and well-respected company provides the platform for us to strengthen, grow and develop a much wider product range to our customers from our Creeksea distribution hub.”
Terry Edgell, CEO and co-founder at Premier Forest Products, said: “We’re very happy to welcome Bitus UK to the Premier Forest group. 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.”
