One year on from facing closure, a builders’ merchant in Stevenage is celebrating its successful turnaround.

In 2017, Gibbs and Dandy took over the branch from Chas Lowe & Sons, which was struggling after its owners sold its site for redevelopment.

Since the acquisition the store has gone from strength to strength.

Stuart Wells, Stevenage Branch Manager, said: “It’s been a very successful first year.

“The staff have enjoyed working together as a team rather than as individual departments, and having clear procedures in place has helped everyone.

“It’s been great to see how much the staff have taken pride in seeing the branch grow and grow during the past 12 months.”

The team had the challenging timeline of one month to transfer all the stock to a new location, install a new IT system, transfer staff to a new town, install new displays, and open a new bathroom showroom.

Wells said: “The staff and how everyone worked together got us all through, myself included, to be where we needed to be in only 30 days. It was possible thanks to a positive team with a real ‘can-do’ attitude”.

“All our hard work has certainly paid off, with the branch performing well since launch with former customers returning and new ones coming on board.

“We look forward to the branch’s continued growth as we move into our second year and beyond.”