Huws Gray’s latest acquisition of FJ Williams sees the Anglesey-based company expand right on top of the historic border between England and Wales.

Whereas Hay on Wye sits within Powys on the Welsh side of the border, FJ Williams of Hay is partly located just over the border in Herefordshire. This asset-only purchase follows the acquisition of JF Beale in Derby in August and the September opening of a brownfield site in Ruthin (Denbighshire), and means that Huws Gray now trades from 44 separate trading locations.

Huws Gray managing director Terry Owen said: “We are extremely excited to be opening a new branch in Hay on Wye – especially one that offers some new, unexplored opportunities for us as a company. I am convinced that this is a fantastic opportunity to build on the excellent work done by the previous owners over the years.”

Sarah Williams, a partner from the previous owners of FJ Williams, is confident that they have handed over the reins to a company that will further enhance the good reputation built up over the decades.

"We have been very impressed and appreciative of the way the Huws Gray team has conducted the takeover,” she said. “It is so refreshing to find a merchant that has grown to the size it has without losing its identity as a well-run, hands-on independent merchant.

“We share their core values of motivated, happy staff and great customer service, and are so pleased to be leaving the business in such good hands."

Mr Owen insists that Huws Gray’s appetite for growth remains as strong as ever. “A great deal of work has gone into ensuring that Huws Gray is ready for the much-needed and long-awaited economic upturn that seems to be happening, albeit very slowly,” he said. “As a company that is extremely keen to provide the right opportunities for our staff to develop and grow together, we actively remain on the acquisition trail. Our 2012 and 2013 acquisitions have already seen us move into mid Wales, Staffordshire and Derbyshire, meaning that our acquisition radius has grown considerably. These are exciting times for all of us involved with the company.”