Company History

The largest Timber Merchant in the South East

Alsford has been around since 1882. Everything that makes up the modern world has happened in our lifetime - we've literally seen it all. Of course, there's been enormous change. From our humble beginnings selling timber and fencing in South West London, we've grown to become the largest timber merchant in South East England, with 18 branches across four counties. But we're still true to our founders' values of expertise and excellence in everything we do.

We've spent over 140 years creating the Alsford brand you see today. Because, like you, we believe in building things to last.

A Business Built on Knowledge

You learn a lot in 140 plus years. Especially about people. We know that it's our team that makes us unique, and without them, nothing happens. So to us, Investor in People is more than just an award, it's a philosophy. Everyone here, from our apprentices to our MD, goes on (and passes) appropriate Timber Academy courses, so they can provide expert advice on how, where and when to use our products. We also make sure everyone is fully up to speed with the latest product, building and Health & Safety regulations.

National Reach

As part of our membership into a nationwide buying association we purchase at national levels. As a result, we're cushioned by seasonal supply variations or market fluctuations, so you can rely on us to supply our whole range, all year round. As well as the £8.5 million of stock held in our branch network, we have nine acres of storage at our Erith head office, which is also home to our timber mill and production centre. Keeping the manufacture of specialist items in-house means we can apply the toughest quality control standards in the industry: our own.

Regional Coverage

Like production, delivery is a part of our business we see as too important to entrust to someone else. So we maintain our own fleet of 40 vehicles from Transits to Artics, capable of shifting anything from doors to I-Joists. We deliver across the South East and East Anglia, either direct from the quay or from our Erith site near the Dartford Bridge and Thames Gateway: our branches also offer next-day delivery on all stock items.

Information is Power

We may be over 140 years old, but our Windows-based IT is state-of-the-art. We’ve created a central platform that allows us to share information across the company, and offers customers and suppliers access to current account information and real-time stock control and availability.