Entrepreneur buys £25m Yorkshire shop-fitting group
AN entrepreneur has responded to the economic downturn with confidence by acquiring a £25m Yorkshire-based shop-fitting and joinery business.
Bill Morris, a former divisional managing director of Styles & Wood and operations director of Johnson Controls, has acquired the GF Group in a bid to develop a seamless design, manufacturing, fit-out and project management business for leisure, retail, commercial and public sector clients.
Specialists in refurbishment and interior fit-out projects, GF Group operates from an eight-acre site with an 80,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Brighouse, West Yorkshire and has 137 employees.
Established in 1973, the company has built a reputation for high quality bespoke joinery for a raft of blue-chip restaurant and retail clients across the UK, including Flannels, Nandos, Frankie & Benny’s, Chiquitos, Ping Pong and Piccolinos.
Mr Morris acquired GF Group from founder Gordon Fawthorp who has been appointed non-executive chairman of the company. The value of the transaction has not been disclosed.
Commenting on the acquisition, Mr Morris said: “I had been looking around for the right company to buy for a while and was particularly struck by the reputation and solid financial performance of GF Group. It seemed obvious to me that the transferable skills within the company could be ‘exported’ to other sectors and disciplines to help grow the business.
“Of course, the current economic climate is tough for anyone in this business, but with some smart thinking, the right growth strategy and a commitment to getting the groundwork right, we believe that we have an excellent launch platform for the future.
“My plan now is to take this business from being a good company to being a great one – and I am actively putting together the best team, organisational structure and strategy to deliver steady, measurable success for everyone involved in the business. …Watch this space !”
Cheshire born and bred, Mr Morris started his professional life as an apprentice and worked his way up through the ranks.
By the age of 32, he was running the Far East operation of RWS (now Systech). Upon his return to the UK, he joined Easynet as construction director to assist with the roll-out of data centres across the UK, before joining US-owned Johnson Controls as operations director in 2003.
The following year, he was appointed as divisional managing director for the fit-out operation of Styles & Wood.
Since the acquisition Mr Morris has restructured and refocused the business, appointing a new senior team which includes managing director Steve Taziker, commercial director Nathan Astley, finance director Jackie Fisher and manufacturing director Dave Morton.
