GRS, a leading UK-based independent materials trading group, has expanded its business in the West Country with the acquisition of Cornish company Maen Karne for an undisclosed sum.
The deal strengthens the Midlands-based firm’s position particularly in the south west across all its business lines – bagged and bulk aggregate, waste removal and recycling, and associated transport services.
Maen Karne – which in Cornish means ‘rock of the sea, rock of the land’ – employs 140 people and has built an enviable reputation for customer service. The five operational sites in the deal also include two business lines new to GRS – concrete products and waste transfer.
Following its recent listing in the Sunday Times top track 250 growth companies, GRS says that buying Maen Karne is a complementary addition in more ways than one.
GRS chief executive Jon Fisher said: “Maen Karne is a natural fit for GRS. We’ve been working with them for some time and we’re impressed by the way they do business. They are a highly professional and passionate team with a customer-led, can-do attitude very much like ourselves.”
Maen Karne founder and managing director Julian Chenoweth said: “The decision to sell was never going to be easy, but this is the best way to ensure that the business will continue to thrive. Joining forces with GRS gives us solid backing to keep growing and look forward to the next chapter of the Maen Karne story.”
As part of the GRS Group, Maen Karne operations director Ross Facey will take on the overall management of the business, while Julian Chenoweth will continue as a non-exec director working with the board of Maen Karne and the wider GRS Group.
