Andrew Lowrie has announced that he is to retire from the Hexstone Group.

In the late 1990’s, after a career in the builders’ merchants sector, which included a long spell with Jewson, Mr Lowrie joined the Fyfe McGrouther group, based in Edinburgh, and was general manager of the architectural ironmongers, Bell Donaldson Steele.

In 2000, he then became general manager of the Nailsea branch of W.M. Owlett (under the Decco Group), before moving to Stone (Staffordshire), to take the post of sales operations director for the newly formed Owlett-Jaton business.

During the next 15 years, Mr Lowrie was part of the management team, heading up the sales and marketing functions for Owlett-Jaton, developing the business to one of the largest suppliers of fasteners, fixings, hardware, ironmongery and associate items, in the UK.

Mr Lowrie has played a key role in marketing the Hexstone Group as a complete one-stop-shop for customers. He was also heavily involved with the development of the company’s online trading portals, and was a strong supporter of the many trade exhibitions throughout the UK and Europe.