A well established Enniskillen builder’s merchant, Robert Dickie and Sons Ltd, has been acquired by Haldane Fisher.

As of today (Thursday, February 1) the business will trade under the name Robert Dickie and Sons and will operate as a branch of Haldane Fisher.

Co-Director Andrew Dickie will continue his involvement in the business, whilst his cousin Leslie Dickie will retire.

The 10 staff will not be affected by the take-over.

Established in 1924 by their grandfather Robert Dickie, Leslie and Andrew followed their fathers Eric and Gerry into the family-run business.

Ahead of Leslie’s retirement after a 45-year career, he and Andrew approached Haldane Fisher because they admired their family-run ethos.
“Haldane Fisher, a family owned and run business, is one of the leading independent suppliers to the construction industry in the UK and Ireland, serving both trade customers and the general public with 10 branches in Northern Ireland and a further seven in the Isle of Man and North west of England,” said Leslie.

“The business has grown organically and through acquisition since it was founded by Bob Haldane in 1946, but it still retains the high levels of personal service one would associate with a family run business,” he added.

“We wanted to ensure continuity, so I sought out Haldane Fisher. They virtually came right away to see us and we’ve been in talks for the past four months,” continued Mr. Dickie, who declined to disclose how much their 94-year-old business was sold for.

Whilst Andrew will continue in the business, Leslie will concentrate on the family property portfolio which will trade under Robert Dickie and Sons Ltd.

Commenting on the move, Andrew said: “We are excited for Haldane Fisher to continue to grow and are delighted to have the opportunity to work with them. We have found the Haldane family to be very fair and open.”

He thanked his “incredibly supportive” customers and staff and said: “I am very happy to be continuing to work within Robert Dickie and Sons with the Haldane family.”

Haldane Fisher is a chain of builders and plumber’s merchants supplying building materials, plumbing and heating, home improvement products and internal finish products such as kitchens, bathrooms, doors and floors. The group also imports timber and timber products and manufactures machined timber and engineered roofing and flooring solutions.

David Haldane, Managing Director of Haldane Fisher in Northern Ireland said: “Robert Dickie and Sons is an extremely well-run and well-known business in Enniskillen and surrounding district and it has been a pleasure to work with Andrew Dickie to bring the business on board. We want to continue to build on the work that Andrew, Leslie and the team have done over the last 40 years. We look forward to continuing to offer a good service to the local area and beyond. We have no doubt that we can take Robert Dickie and Sons to the next level and offer both new and existing customers a wide range of products available, in stock, ready for when they need them.”