Newry timber supplier Murdock buys Brooks merchants business
- Published
Murdock has two timber processing facilities in Northern Ireland
Murdock, the County Down-based timber supplier and builders' merchant, has bought the Brooks merchants business in the Republic of Ireland.
It will add seven merchant branches and a timber distribution centre to Murdock.
The Newry-based firm has 10 branches and two timber processing facilities in Northern Ireland as well as four merchanting outlets in the Republic.
Ciaran Murdock of Murdock said the deal was "an important strategic move".
He said that it would be "significantly broadening our footprint in the Republic" and "provides us with a great platform for further expansion".
Brooks, which was originally established in 1750, will now return to Irish ownership for the first time since 1981.
It is being sold by the Wales-based Premier Forest Products Group.
The financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.
The deal will have to be approved by Ireland's Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.
When it completes, Murdock plans to appoint Eddie Kelly as chairman of Brooks Group. He is a former senior executive at the Grafton building products group.
Plant hire firm buyout
Briggs Equipment, which owns the Balloo Hire business, has bought JB Plant Hire, which operates from two sites in Dungannon and Omagh in County Tyrone.
Peter Jones, Briggs Equipment's group managing director, said: "This acquisition means we are delivering on our ambition of providing comprehensive plant hire coverage across Northern Ireland.
"JB Plant Hire will complement our Balloo Hire business in providing quality plant hire to a diverse customer base.
"We very much look forward to working with our new colleagues and the Brooks management team who have done such a good job in growing the business over the past number of years."