Hill Trading

Duncan Hill

Over 36 years, I built Grange Fencing up from being a small market town business in Newport High Street to being the largest garden fencing manufacturer in the country. When I sold the business in 2014, turnover had nearly reached £50m, and it was manufacturing over 55 miles of garden fencing and trellis panels per week, buying in additional lines from Eastern Europe including a range of ornamental garden structures, and also making metal gates, railings and fence post supports.

By that stage, the company had four factories, two storage and distribution yards, and buying offices in both Latvia and Poland. Sales were principally to national chains of DIY stores, builders’ merchants and garden centres, and in later years significant sales were also achieved on-line and via home delivery.

Since the sale of Grange Fencing, I have turned my attention to farming, commercial forestry and investment activities and have accordingly set up three new companies. I am also a member of an angel investment syndicate based in south Shropshire.