About us

Welcome.

Since our beginning in the backroom of my great-grandfather’s home in Cambridge in 1911, RIDGEONS has grown steadily to become one of the UK’s largest independent Timber and Builders Merchants with 22 locations across the East of England.

Our mission remains the same as in Cyril’s day; namely, to make it easier for you to do business with the support on hand to provide all your building needs quickly and efficiently with exceptional customer service and advice every step of the way.

Over the last 100 years our client base has grown to include such diverse sectors as property development, the public sector, farming, exports and DIY. However, the appeal of our service remains the same with a commitment to an outstanding width and depth of stock available for collection or delivery. A range extending from the external envelope - including bricks and engineering timber solutions, through to kitchens and bathrooms, plumbing and heating, paints and fixings to meet all your project needs across the region.

Relationships too remain a most vital aspect of our business with our company values written into the fabric of how we do business. Alongside our strong commitment to customers, we put great emphasis on the welfare and development of staff, our relations with suppliers as well as our responsibility to the local communities and the environment in which we live and trade.

We do hope you enjoy looking through our website and I hope we
can be of service to you.

Best wishes,

Anne Ridgeon
Chairman

“In the Eyes of the Customer I am Ridgeons”

Mission:

To be our customers’ preferred supplier by making it easy for them to do business with us, and to maintain the strong position of respect and integrity we have established in the industry as the leading independent supplier of all building materials.

Values:

To be committed to the highest standards of integrity, respect and
business ethics

• To prosper through initiative, teamwork and continual improvement
• To recognise the value of long term, trusted relationships with employees,
  customers and suppliers
• To pledge first-rate customer service by always going the extra mile
• To provide a rewarding and fulfilling work environment for everyone
• To offer good career development, training and employee welfare, harnessing the commitment, skill and talent of our people, enabling individuals to develop to their full potential
• To foster a supportive, caring and considerate attitude towards others but to be firm when necessary
• To be approachable and straightforward in all our dealings, and to encourage honest, open and two way dialogue
• To focus clearly on our daily responsibilities for Health and Safety and our care for the Environment
• To support our local communities and to share profits with registered charities.

Vision:

Ridgeons is a family owned business with its roots firmly planted in the history of the East Anglia Region. Founded in 1911 by Cyril Ridgeon working from his own home in St Barnabas Road in Cambridge.  In the following year a lease was taken on a one and a half acre site on Tenison road Cambridge.

By 1925 Cyril’s son Elliot joined the business and which at this point became Cyril Ridgeon & Son. The business expanded after the First World War with the increase in house building and development of roads around the City. In 1942 Elliot became Managing Director after the death of his father Cyril.

The post war years saw the business develop into the town of March. The first branch is opened in 1946 on Broad Street, bringing Paint, Ironmongery and Showrooms to the town centre. In 1948 a yard is purchased on Creek Road for Building Materials, Timber, Boards, Heating and Plumbing products.

I

1973 David Ridgeon
In 1958 the Saffron Walden Building Materials Supply Co. Ltd. is bought, on Station Street. it becomes part of the Ridgeon Group. David Ridgeon, grandson of Cyril, became Managing Director of the associate company, and gradually buys or rents most of Station St. In 1973 David Ridgeon became Managing Director and chairman of the Ridgeon Group on the death of his father Elliot.

Thereafter under David Ridgeons stewardship throughout the rest of the century the Group continues to expand through both acquisitions and organic growth:

1983 Rocklands
In the December the Group acquired its site in Rocklands near Attleborough.

1985 Saffron Walden
Purchased 32 acre site at Ashdon Road, Saffron Walden, and moved from Station Street in 1986. The branch started trading in August of the following year from 8.5 acres, with almost 2.5 acres all under one roof.

1986 Ridgeons Forest Products (Herringswell)
One of the most modern Timber  production units in the country.

1988 Rocklands
Purchased 1.6 acres of land and extended the site at Rocklands.        

March
purchased green field site on March Trading Park, 2 miles from Town Centre.          The new March branch opened Jan 1990 in 3.9 acres. 

1993 Sawbridgeworth 
A1 acre site and opened on 5 July.

1994 Cambridge Nuffield Road
A 5.2 acre site opened for business 30 October, 1995 and the Central Sales Office is officially opened in 1996.

1996 Cambridge Cromwell Road
An 8 acre site opens in November, complementing the Nuffield road site and together replacing the old Tenison Road branch. 

1998 Snettisham
A 1 acre site near Kings Lynn, later in 2005 this branch was granted a Royal Warrant for supplying the nearby Sandringham Estate.

1999 Halesworth, Ipswich, Newmarket, Thetford and Colchester
These branches were part of an acquisition made in 1999. That same year saw the group expand into Kelvedon also with a 3 acre site.

2000
And so into the new century and the Group
continued to flourish and expand:

Norwich
A 1 acre site that included a saw mill.

Sudbury, Diss, & Lowestoft
Were all acquired in this year.

2001 Bury St Edmunds
An acquisition of a 2 acre site which commenced trading in May of 2002.

2003 Sudbury
The branch underwent a major development program culminating in the opening of a brand new Kitchen and Bathroom Showroom in 2004.

2004 Anne Ridgeon
Anne picked up the baton and took over as Chairman of the group from her father David who stayed on as Vice Chairman.

2005 Newmarket
The branch was relocated to a brand new and larger site.                                    Halesworth also moved to a new and larger location. And our Kitchen and Bathroom Showrooms at Saffron Walden, along with the Paint and Ironmongery department underwent some major refurbishments.

2006 Anglia Tool Centre
This brand new venture opens in Bury St Edmunds as a stand alone Power tool brand and internet trading initiative.

2007 Pampisford
A brand new branch opened at Solopark in April.

2007 Peterborough
Our second new branch this year opened in May.

2008 Norwich
The second branch opened in the Capital City of Norfolk.

2010 Martlesham Heath
A new branch open near Ipswich.

Investors In People

Investors In People accreditation
gained 10 years on – still improving

Ridgeons Ltd first met the national standard to gain the prestigious ‘Investors in People’ award in 1998 and following our successful review in February of 2008 the company has reached the impressive landmark of ten years as a recognised organisation.

The review was, as usual, very thorough with more than 70 of our staff spoken to by the Assessor, Allan Brown, either individually or in small groups. All of the meetings between the Assessor and staff members were confidential and were used to help Allan understand our company, our culture and our processes and then match these to the demanding requirements of the standard. This review was particularly testing as the national standard itself had been reviewed, updated and made more challenging in several areas.

After spending 6 days with us, the Assessor presented his feedback both verbally and in a written report. The feedback was very positive and highlighted a number of areas of good practice along with some suggestions as to how we could continue to improve. Overall Allan was very complimentary and described Ridgeons as “a company that continues to thrive in a very competitive market place who pride themselves in offering high standards of service and product knowledge”.