Cairngorm Capital Partners has acquired Fairalls (Builders’ Merchants) Limited. It joins Cairngorm Capital’s other building merchant brands, Parkers Building Supplies and Stamco, creating the largest independent builders’ merchant group in the South East. The newly enlarged group has 24 branches serving Surrey, Sussex and Kent, over 500 employees and combined revenues of £120 million.
A family firm dating its origins back to 1900, Fairalls offers a mix of heavy and lightside building materials, from its four locations in Surrey and Kent – Gatwick, Sevenoaks and two branches in Godstone. Its Taylors Hill Branch in Godstone is one of the largest heavyside yards in the South East. In 2018 the business, currently managed by Bob Fairall and his son Richard, achieved revenues of approximately £15m with 85 employees. Bob will remain with the business on an interim basis before entering retirement. Richard will also remain with the business which will continue to trade under the Fairalls brand.
The transaction was led by Alex Bayliss, Managing Director at Cairngorm Capital, who said, “As investors we are actively engaged in the strategy and operational development of our portfolio companies. We have been working hard to find opportunities to scale our building merchant business. Like Parkers and Stamco, Fairalls is an excellent company with a strong brand in the independent builders’ merchants market and an outstanding reputation with its customers. Geographically this partnership is highly complementary, extending our presence across the South East of England to make our group, the largest independent builders’ merchant in the region. We are delighted to welcome Fairalls to the group.”
