County Down firm set to grow workforce with acquisition of Portadown’s Oaktree Blinds
County-Down based, family-run Bedwin Soft Furnishings is set to continue its strong growth trajectory over the last two years with the acquisition of well-established Portadown business, Oaktree Blinds, and a £100k investment in bespoke machinery.
This significant acquisition will see the Kilkeel firm create and add three new jobs to its current workforce, bringing its company headcount to 25.
The acquisition deal, set to complete on the first of April will see Oaktree Founder, Alan Pickering come on board in a sales role within the newly branded ‘Oaktree by Bedwin.’
Throughout the course of the pandemic, Bedwin has seen its business grow significantly with three jobs, along with a separate £250k investment in a newly built furnishing factory that has given the company the impetus to enhance its service and product offering and gain new, and prestigious contracts.
In recent months Bedwin has invested heavily to the sum of £100k in new machinery to both automate production and reduce their carbon footprint in a process helping them to reduce emissions and enhance green credentials.
In turn this investment will help Bedwin offset increased overheads to continue offering customer competitive pricing and high-quality, specialised furniture products.
Recently, Bedwin has won contracts and custom with notable names including the NHS Northern Ireland Framework, Lusk Community College, Newbridge Integrated College and Newtownards Crematorium, having also worked with Liberty Insurance and Queen’s University since 2020.
‘Oaktree by Bedwin’ will see the business diversify and enhance their overall Blinds offering to the wider UK and Ireland market, opening up new opportunities within sectors including motorisation, shutters and Soft Cloth window dressing.
For decades, Oaktree has commanded a strong reputation and customer base through specialising in all forms of window blinds. This was a key consideration for Bedwin in seeking the acquisition.
Bedwin Sales Director Chris Wallace said: “The acquisition of Oaktree Blinds is a strong statement of intent for our business, particularly within the blinds industry that has seen continuous growth in recent years. However, being able to bring in someone with the reputation and expertise of Alan, as part of the deal is equally as significant.”
“We’ve worked hard to develop our market share in recent years, and this is another positive step in growing our workforce, product offering, and customer base. The future is looking bright for the Bedwin business.”
Founder of Portadown based Oaktree, Alan Pickering is excited at the prospect of remaining involved in the operations of the business he founded in 2009
“I’m immensely proud of the business built by Oaktree over more than 13 years and delighted to be able to continue much of our work for long-standing and new customers through the brilliant Bedwin company. I know the Wallace family well and have no doubt they will help nurture and bring the Oaktree brand from strength to strength in the coming years.”
Pictured are Ossie Wallace, Director, Bedwin Soft Furnishings, Erica Maxwell, Director, Bedwin Soft Furnishings, Alan Pickering, Founder, Oaktree Blinds
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