Ireland’s largest sawmiller, Glennon Brothers, has acquired the Pontrilas Group – one of the UK’s largest independent processors – in a deal that will add £120 million in turnover and more than 200,000 cubic metres of annual capacity to the sawmilling giant.
Wood Central understands that the acquisition, which was finalised on Tuesday, January 27, strengthens the company’s integrated forest‑to‑front‑door model, with Pontrilas’ major English mill on the Welsh border joining Glennon Brothers’ existing facilities across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
“We are delighted to welcome the Pontrilas Group into the Glennon Brothers family,” said Mike Glennon, joint managing director. “This is a significant milestone in Glennon Brothers’ history, which dates back to 1913. This provides our customers with an enhanced product and service offering, as well as increased overall production capacity for the future.
“This acquisition allows us to continue fulfilling our commitment to our customers by offering a one-stop shop solution for sawn softwood across the UK and Ireland.”
Mike Glennon, joint managing director of Glennon Brothers, which now operates mills in Longford and Fermoy in Ireland, Windymains and Troon in Scotland, and the newly acquired Pontrilas Group on the English–Welsh border.
Meanwhile, joint managing director Pat Glennon said the move further strengthens its vertically integrated supply chain: “By adding Pontrilas to our existing business, it further enhances our capability to operate fully from forest to front door.”
The new deal comes as demand for timber‑frame construction is accelerating across the UK, with builders increasingly tapping into modern methods of construction to build faster and lower-carbon houses as part of a growing shift away from brick-and-block. That includes Bellway Homes – one of the UK’s fastest‑growing builders – which yesterday opened its new timber‑frame factory in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.
And while only 10% of English homes are currently timber-frame, that landscape is changing fast, with David Hopkins, CEO of Timber Development UK, last year revealing that more than 30% of the UK’s top builders have now installed their own timber‑frame manufacturing facilities.
- To learn why UK builders are now using robotics and advanced timber systems to short circuit it’s housing crisis, click here for Wood Central’s special feature from August 2025.
