Two of Cayman’s main hardware store brands are merging, with the purchase of Cox Lumber by A. L. Thompson’s.
The sale of Cox Lumber’s store in Bodden Town and its contractor yard in Industrial Park in George Town became effective today, 15 Sept., according to a statement from A. L. Thompson’s.
It stated that all Cox Lumber employees will be retained.
The Tibbetts family, who owned Cox Lumber, will retain Tibbetts Lumber Co. and Tibbetts International operating in the United States.
There are no immediate plans to bring the two Cox Lumber locations under the A. L. Thompson’s brand, and, according to company president Al Thompson, there will be no changes to either brand’s day-to-day operations, staffing and customer accounts.
“Bringing A. L. Thompson’s and Cox Lumber together allows us to evolve to meet the demands of the people of the Cayman Islands, by combining our Caymanian values and commitment to our customers to create an even better offering,” Thompson said in a press release announcing the purchase.
He added, “I would like to sincerely thank all staff at both businesses for their ongoing efforts to serve our customers over the last 75 years, and I look forward to welcoming our new colleagues from Cox Lumber and expanding the A. L. Thompson’s family further.”
Thompson, along with his sister and company director Berna Cummins, will continue to lead the business, supported jointly by A. L. Thompson’s and Cox Lumber’s existing leadership teams, according to the release.
“The two businesses are highly complementary, bringing together Cox Lumber’s traditional focus on building materials and supplying contractors and A. L. Thompson’s on home improvements and a wider retail selection,” said Kyle Hooker, executive chairman of Cox Lumber Ltd., in the release.
“We are confident the business built by my grandfather, the late Mr. Linton N. Tibbetts, OBE, will continue to grow and prosper under the Thompson family’s leadership. We are excited that the legacy will continue as a wholly owned Caymanian company, a factor that was incredibly important to me in this decision.”
He added, “I personally would like to thank our dedicated team and customers for their unwavering support over the past three decades in the Cayman Islands and I am honoured to hand Cox Lumber Ltd. over to Mr. Thompson and entrust our customers and team to his service level and care.”
Cox Lumber’s first store was opened on Eastern Avenue in 1989 by Linton Tibbetts, who had been shipping building materials to Cayman from Florida since 1948.
The company opened its second store, in Bodden Town, in May 2015, and its drive-through contractor yard in Industrial Park in December 2017. The Eastern Avenue store closed down in November 2017.
Related Videos
