Rudridge becomes part of Travis Perkins

Independent builders merchant Rudridge has been sold to the Travis Perkins Group.

The board of the civil engineering and groundwork materials merchant approved the sale of Rudridge Ltd to the Group on Wednesday 4th February 2015.

The merchant, who specialises in civil engineering and groundwork materials, say the sale to Travis Perkins will take the business “to the next level”.

Rudridge commenced trading in May 2000 when directors Alan Betteridge and Robert Rudd set a plan to establish a specialist merchant that could geographically service London and the South East.

The company will keep its own identity and will stay under the management of Betteridge and Rudd.

Alan Betteridge said: “The professionalism, integrity, respect for the Rudridge brand and, perhaps most importantly, the people we met at Travis Perkins, left us in absolutely no doubt that they were the right organisation to take the business to the next level.

“During the sale process it became evident that being part of a bigger organisation would be a very positive step for both Rudridge and our employees.

“Becoming part of the Travis Perkins family means that we will be able to access many of their resources, while Rudridge maintains its own identity, still under the management of myself and Robert. Our ethos remains unchanged: delivering a first-class service to our customers and providing our employees with a happy and enjoyable environment to work in.”

Robert Rudd said the move is “a huge opportunity” to “accelerate the growth” of the existing Rudridge branches.

“Travis Perkins will not only provide the platform for us to continue the development of Rudridge, they also respect our unique trading style and have emphasised that they want this to continue,” said Rudd.

“Alan and I always wanted to align ourselves with a new owner that thinks long term, and vitally does what is in the best interest of our staff and customers.”

Frank Elkins, divisional CEO Travis Perkins, contract merchanting division, said: “Alan and Robert have built a great business with specialist knowledge in the civils and drainage market, and a strong ethos for service which fits with our own. We are delighted to welcome Rudridge to the Group and look forward to working with them to develop the business.”