The Mayor of Huntingdon, Bill Hensley, cut the ribbon to officially open a new Kent Blaxill decorating materials branch in the town last week (May 1), the company’s ninth store.

Welcoming the company to the town, Mr Hensley said: “It is great to see another business opening in Huntingdon. It is the fastest growing town in the fastest growing county in the country.”

He was addressing staff, customers and suppliers at the new 3,147 sq ft Kent Blaxill store located at Unit 1, Stukeley Meadows Industrial Estate, St Margarets Way, Huntingdon, PE29 6EB – three minutes away from the A1/A14.

The three-man branch, which will open at 7.30am daily and on Saturday mornings, will serve an area from Huntingdon and Cambridge to St Ives and south Peterborough.

Run by newly appointed manager David Jacobs, with long-serving Kent Blaxill employee Colin Baxter as the sales representative, the new store also features a designer paints showroom. 

Simon Blaxill, managing director, said: “We are very pleased to be opening in Huntingdon – the town has very much a family air about it and we have been a family firm for 175 years. We genuinely believe we have a lot to offer to our core market, the professional decorators, but we are also very pleased to welcome DIY enthusiasts. As well as having knowledgeable staff we are backed up by our suppliers, which enables us to be very responsive to customer problems. We are also keen to be involved in and support the local community.”

The branch will stock thousands of product lines from a wide range of manufacturers, including major paints suppliers Dulux and Crown, and designer paint specialists Farrow & Ball and Little Greene. 

Ron McConnachie, commercial director, said: “With a lot of growth planned around Huntingdon, it is an ideal place for Kent Blaxill to open a new branch and fits perfectly with our expansion plans.”