Barnwood Shopfitting and Interiors appoints new MD

Gloucester-based Barnwood Shopfitting and Interiors has appointed Chris Preece as managing director.

The post was previously held by Simon Carey, the CEO of Barnwood Group, who held both roles. Simon will continue in his role as CEO of the group.

Barnwood Shopfitting and Interiors employs 100 staff, including 25 working in the joinery workshop and has a turnover of £36 million. It is part of the Barnwood Group, encompassing Barnwood Construction, Barnwood General Works and the Shopfitting and Interiors division. The group has an annual turnover of £125 million and employs 220 people.

Chris has worked for Barnwood Shopfitting and Interiors for 10 years where he started out as a Contracts Manager. He has since been promoted several times over the years before being appointed as MD.

Chris and his team have successfully taken advantage of the high street’s renaissance, building on the company’s already impressive client base from a diverse range of sectors, including Next, B&Q, KFC, SKY, TSB, JD Gym, Sephora, Holland & Barrett, Office Shoes, Vets4Pets and Pets at Home, to name but a few.

Chris said: “There’s opportunities if clients want to move to the high street. I believe that many of the closures that have happened are because retailers have stood still and have been overtaken by a competitor which appeals more to the public.

“High street retail must diversify offerings and improve convenience to compete with online shopping and enhance customer experience.”

He continued: “Our business has never been busier. We’re currently working on the new Watches of Switzerland store on Cheltenham Promenade, which is set to open later this autumn. Another quickly coming down the tracks is the first Harvey Norman store in the UK, in the former Debenhams unit at the Merry Hill shopping centre in the West Midlands, as well as the first physical store for online beauty retailer, THG LOOKFANTASTIC.”

One of the most prestigious projects Barnwood Interiors and Shopfitting has worked on recently is a project for Gloucestershire-based Freemans Event Partners at Lord’s Cricket Club – a cricket pavilion with food and a bar - working on the project with local architects, Roberts Limbrick.

Chris Gabb was MD of Barnwood Shopfitting (as it was then known) for many years, then group managing director from 2006. He retired in 2014 but remained as a consultant and sadly passed away in 2019.

Chris Preece added: “I’m proud of the heritage of the company and to follow in the footsteps of Simon Carey and his predecessor, Chris Gabb, who built the foundations for the success of the company. We plan to build on Chris’s legacy for the next 50 years.”