Bristol-headquartered hard landscaping materials manufacturer Bowland Stone has relocated to a new three-acre site after securing a commercial mortgage from HSBC.
Bowland Stone used the mortgage to support the £1.45m acquisition of the land off Feeder Road, St Phillips, from the former owners of builders’ merchants HJ Chards, which it took over in 2014.
It has since redeveloped the site and moved its accounts and administration teams to the premises.
Bowland Stone, which was established in 1995, was previously based less than a mile away in Crews Hole Road.
It manufactures hard landscaping materials including decorative paving slabs, patio kits, path edgings and stepping stones for garden centres, builders’ merchants, landscape designers, tradesmen and retail customers.
It also bags decorative aggregate products – such as gravel, chippings and rockery – at two other Bristol sites in St George and Henbury. These sites are planned for consolidation into one manufacturing and distribution facility in the next 18 to 24 months.
Bowland Stone has its roots in independent Bristol firm Concrete Fabrications Ltd, which started manufacturing concrete products in 1960.
The Bowland Stone brand was created in the early 1990s when Concrete Fabrications teamed up with firms in Hull and Macclesfield to create a paving range that could have a national identity. Based in and Bristol, these companies were each able to create Bowland Stone paving while at the same time remaining independent companies.
Paul Elston, who joined Concrete Fabrications in 1983 and became a director in the late 1980s, sold to his son and daughter Ian and Julia in a management buyout in 2010.
They now run both the Bristol and Macclesfield sites with the support of their spouses and management team.
Ian and Julia used a dedicated funding package from HSBC to undertake a management buy-out from their father.
Managing director Ian said the land acquisition provided ongoing stability for the business as well as a permanent base in Bristol.
“Since acquiring HJ Chards it has always been an ambition of ours to own the land as well. So when the opportunity arose we jumped at the chance. As well as making good commercial sense, we wanted to have an asset that would secure the future of the business.
“We have worked with HSBC since 2002 and in that time the team has always been very supportive of our business and have a good understanding of the nature of what we do, giving us the confidence to both grow and adapt the company in years to come.”
HSBC area director for Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, James Shepherd, added: “Our relationship with Bowland Stone spans more than 15 years and in that time we’ve seen the business go from strength-to-strength.
“HSBC has a thorough understanding of the industry and the company’s evolving finance requirements and this latest round of funding is testament to its ongoing success.”
Pictured, from left: Julia Russell from Bowland Stone; Michael Bobroff of HSBC and Ian Elston from Bowland Stone
