The South West’s leading roofing materials supplier, Roofing Supplies Ltd (RSL), is set for further growth after its new owner pledged to develop the business in the region.
The company, which has outlets in Exeter and Plymouth in Devon and Newquay, Cornwall, has been bought by Plymouth-based private investment firm Longhouse Group.
Recent years have seen strong growth at RSL, which supplies building contractors with a full range of roofing materials including for flat or pitched roofs and a wide selection of accessories, and headcount at the business has reached 25 across the three sites.
Longhouse Group already owns a specialist land machinery dealership and a light engineering supplies business, both Devon-based, and described the acquisition of RSL as a “perfect fit” for its expanding portfolio.
Nigel Godefroy, director at Longhouse, said: “Not only is RSL already an extremely strong and profitable business, it is also highly respected and deeply embedded into the local economy with huge potential for further development.
“Across its existing three outlets in Devon and Cornwall the company is widely recognised as the South West’s leading independent supplier to the roofing trade, and is a perfect fit to help us achieve our vision of a strong and dynamic portfolio of likeminded and ambitious businesses.”
Rather than pick up failing businesses Longhouse instead focuses on the acquisition of strong, successful enterprises where the owners are looking to exit and with foundations firmly set for further investment and growth.
What’s more, whilst other investment companies choose to remain “silent partners” Longhouse’s directors opt to be very much “hands on”, appointing an executive team as well as being involved in the day to day running of those businesses.
Nigel Godefroy continued: “We have already appointed Damion Fearnley, an experienced and ambitious roofing expert, as general manager for RSL, who will help us grow the business and further increase turnover, creating much-needed jobs and prosperity for the region.”
With a background in building supplies sales and retail trade Damion Fearnley said: “RSL has a superb reach in the South West and is very much the go-to supplier for small to medium sized roofing contractors and for larger construction requirements too.
“Not only does RSL provide excellent quality roofing materials at competitive prices, it also employs highly experienced and knowledgeable people ready to go the extra mile to make it the stand-out independent operator in the South West.”
He added: “I’m very proud and excited to be working with the team at Longhouse Group and firmly believe RSL has masses of potential to be further developed to take a greater market share than it already has.”
