NEWRY-headquartered Murdock Builder’s Merchants has acquired the merchanting division of FR Cathcart Ltd in Enniskillen, bringing its total number of branches to across Northern Ireland and the Republic to 12.
FR Cathcart, which has successfully operated as a family business since 1972, is widely regarded as one of the north’s leading independent suppliers of building materials.
The acquisition offers a strategic opportunity for the Murdock Group to extend its reach across Northern Ireland, where it already has nine branches, as well as two outlets in Dublin.
The move will also enable Murdock’s to enhance its service levels across the west of the province by providing its customers in the border counties with a local collection and delivery point.
Twelve existing members of FR Cathcart staff are transferring over to Murdock’s as part of the acquisition agreement, joining the company’s 300-strong workforce.
Murdock’s chief executive Ann Morgan said “This investment offers new challenges and positive opportunities for all of our customers and staff.
"We feel privileged to bring such a well-respected family-owned company as FR Cathcart Ltd into the Murdock Builders Merchants Group and are grateful to Richard and Roisin Cathcart for all their assistance and cooperation through the acquisition process.
“With the deal complete we look forward to working with the team at the Enniskillen branch and in particular to building upon their previous success.”
Richard Cathcart said: “The Cathcart family is confident that this is the right time to hand over the reins of the merchanting division of FR Cathcart Ltd to Murdock Builder’s Merchants.
“We are extremely proud of the business that we have built up since 1972 and the wonderful staff relationships that have been developed over those years.
"Looking to the future, our priority was to take the business to the next level, so it was vital that we found an independently-owned and progressively-minded company such as Murdock’s to take over our merchanting division.”
