LONG-established Belfast plumbing supply firm Beggs & Partners has made a significant acquisition of a chain in Britain which will take its turnover to around £40 million in the next two years.
The family-owned third-generation plumber, founded in 1960 by William Beggs and with branches in Ballymena, Maghera, Newtownards, Portadown and Lisburn as well as its Great Patrick Street headquarters in Belfast.
It has bought Essex-based SX Heating and Plumbing Supplies Ltd, a thriving business with four branches operating in the Essex and greater London region for the last decade.
The move has been 18 months in the planning, and as well as increasing Beggs' operating outlets from six depots to 10, it will boost turnover by a third to more than £40 million, cementing its position as Northern Ireland's largest independent plumbing and heating merchant .
Beggs & Partners currently employs 120 staff, and the latest acquisition will see that number rise to 160 employees, with the prospect of future growth.
Director Ian Beggs said: "Beggs & Partners have 60 years of solid merchanting experience in our home market, and despite the 2008 downturn we have seen consistent growth year on year.
"Our core objectives are built on the fundamentals of supplying the highest quality goods at the best value prices, with professionalism, expertise and unwavering customer service.
"We identified a natural alignment with SX Heating and Plumbing and understood the real opportunity to develop in a new market.
"Not only will this move bolster business for Beggs & Partners, but it will underpin jobs and encourage future growth throughout the organisation.’’
Originally catering purely for the plumber and tradesman, Beggs has broadened its business reach to supply bathrooms, plumbing and heating, and have specialised contract sanitary-ware and commercial heating, pumping and pipeline divisions alongside renewables and solar panels.
All its branches feature comprehensive retail showrooms open to the public, as well as trade counters supplying anything from a screws, washers and taps to the largest gas, oil or wood pellet boilers.
