Timber supplier James Donaldson & Sons Ltd. buys Palgrave Brown assets

Dec 10, 2008. /Lesprom.com/. Timber supplier James Donaldson & Sons Ltd has bought the assets of engineered timber manufacturer Palgrave Brown, which went into administration last month with the loss of 450 jobs, Crain's Manchester Business reported. Donaldson has acquired all the land and buildings, plant, machinery and stock from the site in Chorley for an undisclosed sum. It said the move would safeguard 40 local jobs - the company employed 491 when the administrators from BDO Stoy Hayward were appointed on November 4 The new entity will trade as Alfred Hulme Ltd, the original name of the Chorley business when it started on the current site around 1919. Palgrave Brown, which supplied roof trusses and timber engineered products, was hit hard by the downturn in the house building and construction sector. James Donaldson has a turnover of nearly GBP 100 million ($148 million) and said it had avoided the worst of the recession by having a spread of customers in various sectors. Chairman Neil Donaldson said: “The Chorley site was rightly being sold as a going concern as it has good facilities, a skilled workforce and geographically is well positioned to help us grow strongly once the economic conditions improve.” He said the product range would be extended next year as the group would use the new operation to grow its market share in the North West. James Donaldson and Sons Ltd includes sawmilling company James Donaldson Timber Ltd, roof truss manufacturer Donaldson Timber Engineering and timber merchant MGM.