B&Q network deal

One of Shropshire's most successful companies is celebrating after strengthening its exclusive contract with retail giant B&Q.

Stairparts sales are set to climb at Richard Burbidge, after the Oswestry-based company sealed a fresh deal with the UK's leading DIY retailer.

The prestigious contract means Richard Burbidge is the sole supplier of stair balustrades to B&Q and will be supplying a broader product range to more than 300 stores across the UK, starting in December.

The range will be available nationwide by July 2008 and the new contract is expected to significantly boost stairparts sales for Richard Burbidge, explained chief executive Steve Underhill.

"We have supplied stair balustrade to B&Q for over 20 years so securing this latest contract is fantastic news," he said.

"After looking closely at how people shop and what customers want, we have developed a brand new package for B&Q that includes a broader range of balustrade styles, stocked in more female-friendly merchandisers.

"The aim is to make it easier for homeowners to transform their staircase and we're expecting sales to rise quite considerably over the coming years as a result."

Richard Burbidge currently employs more than 400 people across its sites in Whittington Road, Oswestry and at nearby Chirk.

The company is the UK's leading supplier of stair balustrade. It manufactures a wide variety of timber and metal systems in a choice of traditional and contemporary designs.

In addition to stair balustrade, Richard Burbidge also supplies mouldings, timber decking and outdoor balustrade, to trade and retail stores across the country.

Over the past 12 months it has also worked more closely with architects and specifiers in the housebuilding and commercial markets.

The company's place as market leader sees it generate annual sales of around £55 million.

The Oswestry site is its head office, main factory and distribution hub while the Chirk location is a specialist mouldings plant. The company also operates a sales office in Dublin.

As a timber user, Richard Burbidge says it is committed to an action plan to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment. The company is determined to make a positive contribution to the sustainable use of timber extracted from the world's forests.

To that end it is a member of the Forest Stewardship Council and the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification.

It has a long history as a family company. It was founded by Henry Burbidge in 1867 as H Burbidge in Coventry.

The Oswestry factory was opened in 1964, specialising in the manufacture of turned wooden items. It was managed by Henry Burbidge's great grandson, Richard Burbidge.

Richard Burbidge demerged from the H Burbidge Group in in 1986 and Richard Burbidge Ltd was founded. It was in 1989 that the second factory was opened across the Welsh border in Chirk.