FEATURE MERCHANT FOCUS
Keeping the Timber Market Covered Covers has been providing a range of high-quality timber services to customers across the south of England since the early 1840s and recently celebrated 175 years of timber trading. From delivering local woods by horse and cart to its modern timber mill of today – complete with state-of-the-art equipment – this independent, family-run company has survived and thrived.
A
dapting and evolving are crucial to maintaining market
are intrinsic to our values and ensuring our customers receive expert
share and this is something that Covers has achieved
service every step of the way.”
since it was founded by William Cover in Chichester. Modern solutions that make a difference
When William Cover, who was later joined by his son,
David Cover, in 1857, first started trading out of the Canal Basin in the
Covers is a constant investor in its timber mill and a keen advocate
West Sussex town, their mission was to provide a friendly service that
of sustainability and eco-friendly alternatives. In the 1900s, it used
promoted unity and had community at its heart.
mechanical sawing operations driven by steam. The boilers used to produce this steam were fired with timber offcuts.
Bought by the Green family in the 1940s it is headed up by its
In 2016, Covers relaunched its timber mill following a multi-million-
current chairman, Rupert Green, and managing director, Henry Green. Covers now employs more than 400 staff and has annual sales
pound investment, which included expanding the range of hardwood
exceeding £90 million. It is the leading family-owned timber and
timber stocks in a new hardwood shed and extended timber treatment
builders’ merchant in the south of England.
facilities, such as the Tanalith green and Protim clear treatment plants. Additionally, the company made a considerable investment in two
Rupert Green, chairman of Covers Timber & Builders Merchants, attributes the company’s success to their ongoing investment in, not
Weinig planing and moulding machines, a new production line and an
only the business, but its people and the communities that surround
extension to its existing building. As a result, the company’s timber mill is one of the best on-site
them: “We have come a long way since the early days, consistently investing in our depots, vehicles and state-of-the-art timber machinery
timber facilities in the south of England and creates stock and bespoke
so we can offer unrivalled products and service to our trade and DIY
timber products of the highest quality and specifications. These include
customers.
on-site timber treatments, lacquering, priming, laminating and specialist machining.
“Covers has grown due to a dedicated team of staff – many of
“We are extremely proud of our on-site timber mill and are
whom have been with us for twenty to forty years or more. This is testament to our approach to making our staff feel part of the family
continuously seeking ways to improve and invest to make it even faster
– we listen to them and care about what they want to tell us. They
for our customers,” says Rupert Green. Covers regularly produces more
Timber Trader UK Magazine
Spring 2022
20
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