A former employee of Suffolk-based floor coverings company Hicks Carpets has acquired the business, in partnership with his brother.

Dan Nichols has worked for Hicks for 10 years while brother Brian’s daughter Kelly has also been with the firm for the past three years.

The Nichols brothers are now running the business with the help of three employees, continuing to supply carpet and vinyl flooring sales and installation around the county.

Having been unsuccessful in achieving funding for the deal from other sources, the brothers secured the support of NatWest in Ipswich.

Lorna McQueen, relationship manager at NatWest, worked closely with the brothers in agreeing the purchase of the business from its previous family owners.

Brian Nichols said: “Everyone at NatWest has been incredibly helpful – Lorna went above and beyond what was required to make sure our needs were met. She visited us, met with the previous owners and was always available to solve any issue. The shop is now busier than ever.”

Lorna McQueen added: “The Nichols brothers came to us with big plans and with a lot of history and knowledge already invested in the carpet industry, so we could see they were the perfect team to take over Hicks.

“The family has been a pleasure to work with and I look forward to seeing them make Hicks Carpets their own.”

The Hicks business was established in 1971 and has showrooms in Norwich Road, Ipswich, and Bury Street, Stowmarket. Although it mainly supplies residential customers, across an area stretching roughly from Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury to Ipswich, Felixstowe and Woodbridge, the company also provides contract flooring for smaller offices, care homes and the public sector.

Non-residential clients have included the Regal Cinema in Stowmarket, Stowmarket Town Council, Ipswich Borough Council and Suffolk County Council.