Business hots up for new owner of Shropshire fireplace centre
Business is hotting up at a Shropshire fireplace centre after an employee acquired the business to allow the founder to enjoy his retirement.
Martin Musker had worked at Admaston Firecraft Centre for two years before the owner, Peter Brocklesbury, decided he wanted to sell the business and retire 30 years after he first founded his business.
Martin has since rebranded the Atcham Business Park based business to The Firecraft Centre in order to avoid any confusion as the business moved out of the nearby village of Admaston many years ago. The new name will also allow him to easily open showrooms in other areas.
The specialist firecraft centre provides a range of wood and multi-fuel burners, gas, electric and bioethanol fires, along with a range of wood and non-combustible beams and surrounds and bespoke designed media walls including a “full service from start to finish.”
Martin said he had been overwhelmed with the support and the boom in business from customers across Shropshire and surrounding areas, including Mid Wales and the West Midlands, since he took over.
He said: “The fire industry usually takes off in September but we are currently fully booked well into August which is unprecedented - we think the cooler weather for this time of year may have something to do with that!
“We have exciting plans for the premises which will see a mezzanine floor installed in the showroom to allow us to expand our range of woodburners on display.
“We have seen people have media walls created and then plastered and painted but the trend is now taking the next step with our range of bespoke wood veneer which looks exceptional.
“We are proud of our fantastic customer service we offer - from the minute someone walks in through the door to the moment they go away feeling more knowledgeable and with a clearer picture of what they want to the point our fitters are saying goodbye after completing the install in one day.
“The vast majority of the fireplace brands we stock are only available in a showroom and that is important to us. People need to be able to see the product, feel the quality and ensure they like the look of it and the functionality of it for their specific needs.
“Every customer is very different so seeing such a range of varying styles all under one roof is an important part of the purchase.”
Kaz Peate, office and showroom manager, with an extensive retail background at large high street stores, said: “Customer service is vital in all industries but more so in retail and we ensure this is our number one priority.
“The customer deserves regular communication and it should always be on us to ensure the process is smooth. The majority of our installations are done in one day - that’s after I've arranged the electrician, the fitters and skips, chimney sweep if needed and any other trades needed for the install to take place all on the same day. Everything happens seamlessly here!
“I am very excited about the future as Martin has ambitious plans and I am pleased to be able to support him and our customers too.”
The duo are already looking to build the team further with more fitters and showroom staff and apprentices and partnering with housing developers too after successfully securing similar contracts to provide and install fires in new build properties and developments.They hope to open more branches in the future too.
