HM Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Helen Nellis, officiated the opening of new premises for a Dunstable business that has spent almost 50 years in the town.

Dunstable Laminates was originally established in 1968 and on Thursday, 2 July, they officially moved into Abbey Gate on Boscombe Road.

Providing the highest quality kitchen worktops, office desks, reception counters and bespoke furniture, the company have maintained high profile clients including F1 teams, the Armed Forces, Electrolux, London Luton Airport and Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

Under the stewardship of Managing Director Martin Rix, who bought the business from Ron Hudson in 1994, Dunstable Laminates have gone from strength to strength.

The purchase of Dunstable Joinery in 2004 expanded their service to include bespoke joinery, stairs, shop fronts and bars, which led to demand from high street regulars like Coffee Republic and Specsavers, as well as becoming an approved supplier to Colleges and local authorities.

This saw the company exceed the limitations of their original premises at Edward Street and the land at Boscombe Road was purchased in 2011. Work on the building was completed in April of this year and the Lord Lieutenant cut the ribbon on an open ceremony to represent a new era for both Dunstable Laminates and Dunstable Joinery, which has seen this family business grow and prosper over the last 30 years in Dunstable.

"I was delighted to meet the founder of Dunstable Laminates, his family and loyal team of colleagues,” said Helen Nellis, adding: “The story of the genesis of this company is remarkable and it was a pleasure to mark the growth and success of this organisation by opening their stunning new premises. Businesses like this form the backbone of our county and I look forward to their continuing success."

Martin Rix from Dunstable Laminates said: “We’d like to thank HM Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire for taking the time in her busy schedule to officially open our new premises. It was a pleasure to meet her and all the members of our team welcomed the interest she had in everyone’s different duties they hold.  It was also a pleasure to see so many people from the contractors and professional services involved in the construction of the building as well as clients and local organisations. We’d also like to thank them for all the support they have given us.”