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Gibbs & Dandy

The roots of Gibbs & Dandy can be traced back to 1843 when it was an ironmongery business based in Luton. The business was acquired by George Frederick Gibbs and then in 1894 was purchased by William and Percy Dandy. Mr Gibbs retired, but the Dandy brothers (who originally hailed from Peterborough) maintained the local connection by naming the newly-acquired business Gibbs & Dandy.

The brothers continued trading as a partnership until 1920 when a private limited company was formed. The company prospered, new premises were acquired in Luton and Dunstable and in July 1953 Gibbs and Dandy was floated on the Birmingham Stock Exchange.

Since 1953 Gibbs & Dandy has continued to expand, some of the major milestones include:

  • 1968 the company acquired Frederic Gale Ltd, a Bedford-based public company, and later relocated to Barker’s Lane, Bedford in 1975
  • 1987 Gibbs & Dandy had continued grow in Luton, having three sites in different parts of the town. These sites were consolidated onto a single 7-acre site in Dallow Road, which also became the Head Office.
  • 1990 Gibbs & Dandy bought two branches in St Neots and St Ives (Cambs) from David Smith (St Ives) Ltd.
  • 1997 expansion came through further acquisitions, when it bought the two branches of Miller, Morris and Brooker Ltd in Slough and Maidenhead.
  • 2002 Gibbs & Dandy acquired Elliott & Co (Henley) Ltd to further establish its presence in the Thames Valley
  • 2005 Gibbs & Dandy acquired Timber Force UK, Kettering
  • 2007 another acquisition was made with Carson Fletcher Timber in Market Harborough
  • 2008, Gibbs & Dandy was acquired by Saint-Gobain Building Distribution
  • 2011, a number of other merchants, owned by SGBD, were rebranded as Gibbs & Dandy including: EP Builders (Leicester), Nixon Knowles (Worksop, Doncaster & Nottingham) and Archibalds (Pudsey & Huddersfield)
  • 2012, 12 former Build Center branches and a Merton Timber branch in East Dulwich, acquired by SGBD, were integrated into Gibbs & Dandy

Gibbs & Dandy is now a network of 30 local builders and timber merchants serving professionals in the building trade.