A MAJOR Hereford business has been sold to one of the UK's largest housebuilders.

KBS Corporate has advised on the sale of Taylor Lane Timber Frame Limited to housebuilding specialist Cala Group.

Taylor Lane, based in Rotherwas, Hereford, is among the UK’s leading timber frame manufacturers, supplying cost-effective solutions for a variety of multi-site housing developments.

The business was founded in 1982, growing from a small factory unit in Hereford to meet the commercial demands of the housebuilding market.

Now operating with multiple production facilities in England and Wales, the shareholders pursued the sale of Taylor Lane as part of Colin Taylor’s wider retirement plans, while allowing Jon Lane to remain with the business as managing director.

With assistance from shareholders, KBS Corporate senior document writer Alex Foster created marketing materials which highlighted a significant opportunity in an industry looking to reduce carbon emissions.

Mr Foster said: “Thanks to the comprehensive insight into the business provided by the owners, we were able to rapidly prepare the documents and launch the marketing process, enabling us to capitalise on the growing demand for sustainable building solutions and the continued strength of the housebuilding market.”

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Richard Stocks, senior research analyst at KBS Corporate, managed the outreach process to identify a suitable buyer, with a number of different avenues explored.

“Timber frame buildings have historically been more popular in Scotland and the larger producers, who were approached, are primarily based there," he said.

“We spoke with some of the large builders' merchant groups and with several prominent housebuilders who were looking to secure their timber frame supply.”

Cala was quickly recognised as an ideal acquirer, with the group looking to attain its sustainability targets and with wider growth plans in southern England.

Across Scotland, Cala has primarily used timber during construction projects for over 40 years, with 80 per cent of its homes being built in this manner.

“As part of Legal & General, Cala is one of the largest housebuilders in the UK,” said Mr Stocks.

“Cala had started using Taylor Lane as a supplier and it made a lot of sense for the group to pursue this opportunity.

“The sale will allow Colin Taylor to retire while enabling Jon Lane to continue running and growing the company.”

Taylor Lane managing director Jon Lane said: “This marks the start of an exciting new chapter for Taylor Lane and is a fantastic endorsement of our potential from a highly respected UK homebuilder. We are extremely pleased to be moving forward with Cala as our new owners.

“The management team and I feel extremely positive about our prospects. We have robust growth plans in place, a loyal customer base and a talented team. We also have the security of Cala’s ownership and a pipeline of additional future growth to come from their transition to timber frame construction in England.”