Oxfordshire-based Blanchford Building Supplies closed down last week without warning after 87 years in business.

The business, which was a member of the NBG since 2000 and served both trade and retail customers, operated from four branches in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, and employed around 80 people. 

The first branch of Blanchford & Co Ltd, trading as Blanchford Building Supplies, was opened in 1938 on Queens Street, in central Oxford, by brothers Fred, Cecil and Ronald Blanchford, but the business soon moved to Headington in east Oxford, where is was headquartered until now. 

The Blanchford brothers retired in the 1950s, and were replaced by two employees who became Managing Directors. Another family was introduced into the company, which established continuity in ownership ever since. 

A second store opened in the 1960s in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, which hosted a kitchen & bathroom showroom alongside building supplies. In 2012, another branch opened in Wallingford, Oxfordshire - before a final store launched in Bicester.

The business' last published accounts for the year ending 31 December 2023, indicated a turnover of just under £15.4 million, with an operating loss before tax of just under £700,000 (up from £71,510 in 2022). A fall in turnover of 4.6% compare to 2022 is blamed on "fierce competition from both national and local rivals." The business registered around £5 million in assets, but £2 million of debts. 

The company's website and social media accounts have all been deleted. 

Reacting to the news of the sudden closure on a local Facebook group, several people declared themselves "gutted", while another contributor said: "This is really bad news, Blanchfords has always been a great independent builders merchants. Straight forward pricing and great service."

Another comment lamented: "This is very sad; a huge loss to the local area," while many recalled long-standing familial connections with the business, such as: "So sad.Huge part of my childhood. was going there with my dad to buy supplies and being sat up on the counter as I wasn't tall enough to see over it." 

Data for January 2025 shows a dramatic spike in builders’ merchant insolvencies.