Covers Timber and Builders Merchants unveiled its new 14,000sq ft hardwood shed on 16 January with the Mayor of Chichester, Councillor John Hughes, on hand to cut the ribbon.

Strong sales in hardwood led Covers to invest in the new store. Customers will now have a more varied and larger selection of timber all on the main Quarry Lane site. It will enable increased efficiency on delivery of the raw materials to the mill, situated next door, as well as saving on the forklift fuel bill.

The new hardwood store is also more energy-efficient, as its roof contains 550 photovoltaic panels that generate 130MW/year – enough to power 30 individual houses. Covers uses the energy to power the shed, as well as the nearby mill and timber treatment plant.

“It’s fantastic to see the store complete,” said Henry Green, Covers’ managing director. “It was a lot of hard work as it was a very uneven site, but the final outcome is superb.

“The win for us is to be able to have hardwood on the same site as the rest of the product ranges. Having this hardwood stock at our Chichester branch is second to none locally and provides an excellent service for our customers in the region.

“I’d like to thank the team that operate in the store, those that built it and Councillor John Hughes for officially opening our facility.”