Acquisition of Taylor Lane came on the same day L&G ceased production at its own timber modular housing firm
Cala Group has bought timber frame builder Taylor Lanein a move designed to boost its timber frame production in England to 1,500 units annually over the next five years.
The 40 year-old timber frame firm has factories in Hereford and Wales, and will supply the L&G-owned housebuilder’s five English businesses in the Cotswolds and South of England.
Taylor Lane, which has turnover of around £30m supplying 2,000 timber frame units per year, will retain its existing management team and continue to supply timber frames to existing customers and expand into the wider market.
The acquisition, announced yesterday, came on the same day that Cala’s parent company, L&G, said it was ceasing production at its own timber-frame modular housing business, L&G Modular, following years of losses. L&G did not say whether the two announcements were linked. However, Taylor Lane’s timber panel product is very different from the complete volumetric houses produced by L&G Modular, and it is not known whether Cala had ever considered using L&G Modular as a supplier.
Cala, which reported a 9% rise in turnover to £1.36bn in an unaudited trading update in January for 2022, said it aims to use timber frame in as many homes it builds in England as possible. In Scotland, 80% of Cala’s homes are built with timber frame construction. The firm has been using this method of homebuilding north of the border for more than 40 years.
Kevin Whitaker, chief executive at Cala Group, said: “Taylor Lane is a successful business with an experienced management team and talented workforce, who share Cala’s passion for quality and service.
“For Cala, this also demonstrates our clear commitment to delivering our climate targets. The investment in Taylor Lane sets out our path to transitioning to timber frame across our English developments, a key element of our sustainability strategy.”
Jonathan Lane, managing director at Taylor Lane, said the deal marked the start of an “exciting new chapter for Taylor Lane” and was a fantastic endorsement of the firm’s potential. He said: “We are delighted to being moving forward with Cala as our new owners. Looking ahead, 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.”
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