Laminate panel manufacturer, Nu-Style Products is expanding with the opening of its first distribution centre in England, located in Birmingham.

Nu-Style, part of the James Donaldson Group, has over 70 years of experience and is particularly known in the industry for its shower panel brand, Perform Panel, which it has been manufacturing for 35 years.

The new centre, which will trade under the Perform Panel name, is a first venture into England for the Aberdeen-based business, and coems in response to increasing demand for the products across the UK and Europe.

The move forms part of a five-year strategy for Nu-Style, which has included a £1 million investment to increase both capacity and quality. New machinery and an upgraded site has substantially increased production capacity for Perform Panel, enabling Nu-Style to grow sales while boosting the product range, moving from 16 decors to over 50.

Brandon Townsend has been appointed as Depot Manager and will be supported by Thomas Lloyd-Roberts, who joins Nu-Style from Grant Westfield as Business Development Manager.

Steve Galbraith, Managing Director at Nu-Style Products, commented: "We have seen continuous growth in demand for Perform Panel over the last few years. More and more people are seeing the benefits of wet wall panels over tile options, particularly for social housing, modular buildings, student accommodation and short-term let solutions.

“Our recent investment has had a huge impact on capacity, allowing us to offer customers improved lead times, efficiencies and stock availability, as well as even better customer service and a much bigger range of products. We’re really looking forward to making this first move into England, and we’re excited to see what comes next.”

Andrew Donaldson, CEO of James Donaldson & Sons, added: “This is a great step forward for Perform Panel, Nu-Style and the Donaldson Group as a whole. It’s fantastic to see the investment in this brand coming to fruition, and it is particularly positive to see this expansion in the middle of a global pandemic.”

Nu-Style joined the James Donaldson Group in 2016. The 160-year-old family business comprises ten specialist timber and building product businesses, operating throughout the UK from 43 locations employing over 1,100 people.