Throughout the remainder of 2021, our team will be hosting a series of exclusive webinars demonstrating how builders merchants leverage ECI Software Solutions to reduce costs, improve productivity and increase profitability.
MKM Building Supplies, the UK’s largest independent builders merchant, has purchased Spey Valley Timber & Builders Merchants. This acquisition follows a period of significant growth in Scotland for MKM, with the business having unveiled a new branch in Inverness last month, and one planned for Peterhead next month. The addition of Spey Valley grows MKM’s Scottish network to 17 branches.
Cornwall-based sawmill Duchy Timber has recently purchased a state-of-the-art horizontal resaw at its Lostwithiel site in order to help facilitate a significant increase in production. The new multi-bonded saw is a big timesaver for the team and will allow them to dramatically improve their sawing capacity.
Builders merchant group Huws Gray has acquired another builders merchants, Sandysike Builders Merchants Ltd, based in Carlisle, Cumbria. The family-run business has been serving Cumbria and South West Scotland for more than 22 years, supplying a large range of high-quality building materials, bathrooms and wood-burning stoves. Family members Melanie Forster, Stephanie Forster and Grant Kelton will remain to manage the business.
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) has reported that self-isolation alerts have been having a significant impact on the supply of building materials. It has raised concerns with the government about the effect that staff shortages have been having on the industry.
This month we feature Jonathan Rogerson, Senior Consultant for Field Service. We sat down with Jonathan to learn more about his experience within the field service industry.
The NBG has released its latest Partner survey, which shows that Partners are feeling ready to open their showrooms and branches, and conduct face to face meetings with Suppliers on site. The survey has been carried out quarterly since the first lockdown last year. Overall, 94% of respondents indicated that their branches are now fully open, with 3% remaining closed on Saturdays, mainly because of a conscious change in business operating hours. This is a significant change since the last survey in November, when only 86% were fully open and 12% were closed on Saturdays.
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) has reported that transport issues are affecting builders’ merchants ability to meet their customers’ needs. The BMF states that its members have reported widespread disruption and delays, with a shortage of drivers able to transport materials in the UK. This is in part due to difficulties in member companies finding new and replacement drivers, as well as struggling to secure agency cover because of the demand across the industry.
James Burrell has expanded its delivery fleet to 42 vehicles, with the six new additions being ‘Euro 6’ emission standard vehicles and two new flatbed wagons. These will enable the delivery of around 1,400 tonnes of materials per day across the North East and Yorkshire. The company’s entire wagon fleet is now the most environmentally friendly ‘Euro 6’. They have also recently introduced electric forklifts into several of their branches.
Saint-Gobain’s Graham Plumbers Merchant business has been sold to competitors Wolseley and UK Plumbing Supplies, with the latter taking the majority of the Graham branches, plus the Graham name and website. A smaller number of branches will go to Wolseley. These changes are expected to be completed over the coming weeks.
Murdock Builders Merchants, the timber suppliers and builders’ merchants based in Newry, Northern Ireland, has bought the oldest builders’ merchant in Ireland – the Brooks Group. The Brooks Group comprises Brooks Builders Merchants and Dublin Plywood and Veneer (DPV), from Wales-based Premier Forest Product Group. The acquisition will lead to the return of Irish ownership, after a 40-year interval, of Brooks – leading to the establishment of a strong force in the market with reach throughout Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Figures in the latest Builders Merchants Building Index (BMBI) released by the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) confirm that sales at UK builders’ merchants remained strong in April, following record-breaking results in March. Rather than comparing April 2021 with April 2020, when many merchants and construction sites were temporarily closed – total sales in April 2021 were +22.1% higher than in April 2019 (pre-Covid), with 11 of the 12 product categories recording higher sales.
Builders’ Merchant Company Ltd (BMC) is pleased to announce the completion of a management buyout and the appointment of two new directors. BMC is the largest independent builders’ merchant in the Lincolnshire and Humber region, with four branches, and a projected turnover of around £12million in 2021.
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) has launched its annual search for the industry’s rising stars through the BMF Young Achiever Awards 2021. The Awards feature two categories – Young Merchant Achiever and Young Supplier/Service Achiever – with both being open to anyone under 35 who has demonstrated an ability to go above and beyond in their role.
The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has launched its new Construct Zero website, which will provide a single hub for all information relating to the construction industry’s change programme in the Race to net Zero. The CLC used the Builders Merchants Federation’s (BMF) inaugural Sustainability Forum to help launch the website.
EU nationals have until 30th June to apply for settled status or they face becoming illegal immigrants overnight. It is because of this that construction employers are urged to help their European staff with outstanding applications to ensure this doesn’t happen. EU nationals without settled or pre-settled status will be unable to work, open a bank account, access healthcare or rent a home.
Travis Perkins Chief Operating Officer, Frank Elkins, has warned that around 40% of the group’s branches are experiencing cement shortages. He recommends that businesses give the builders’ merchant as much notice as possible regarding the products and materials they require, in order to help Travis Perkins to plan and secure the materials.
Grant & Stone Group has acquired Devondale Electrical Distributors (Devondale), which provides an extensive range of electrical and ancillary products to electricians, electrical contractors and facilities managers. This acquisition has expanded Grant & Stone’s network of specialist electrical wholesalers and is the most recent of a number of acquisitions including builders’ and plumbers’ merchants in the South West of England.
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) has teamed up with Apprenticeship Management Group to launch a new level three apprenticeship. The Level 3 Team Leader Supervisor apprenticeship will support those taking the initial step to becoming a manager, or for those who have recently been appointed to a junior management role.
The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has warned that cement, some electrical components, timber, steel and paints are all in short supply. The Office for National Statistics has projected a rise of 7-8 per cent in material prices this year, with increases for certain materials, such as timber, expected to more than double. These increases are down to a number of factors including construction industry projects having surged since lockdown, leading to huge demand for already scarce materials.
BSW Timber, the UK’s largest integrated forestry and sawmilling group, has acquired Bayram Timber for an undisclosed sum. Bayram was established more than 20 years ago and is a market leading timber processor and manufacturer. Some of the sectors it supplies for are the UK caravan, leisure home and garden sectors. The acquisition will strengthen BSW’s value-added processing capabilities and will help to broaden BSW’s product offering and service to customers.
All 750 employees at The Independent Builders Merchants Group’s (IBMG) 39 branches will get the afternoon off on 25th June. This is to give employees a well-earned extended weekend break on the first weekend following lockdown easing. As a further show of appreciation, all employees will also receive vouchers so they can enjoy dinner compliments of the business that night.
Setcrete, the manufacturer of high-performance floor preparation products and levelling compounds, has become a supplier member of the IBC Buying Group (Independent Buying Consortium). This means IBC Buying Group’s 200+ merchant members can now purchase the entire Setcrete range at the specially-negotiated IBC buying terms. IBC members can also take advantage of Setcrete’s merchant support – this includes using branded point-of-sale displays, having colour-coded packaging designed to simplify product selection, tailored product training for merchant staff, and in-brand product demonstration days for merchant customers.
The K-Briq - a brick that has been made of recycled construction waste – will go into production, thanks to £1 million in funding by Zero Waste Scotland to its developer, Kenoteq, a clean-tech spin-out from Heriot-Watt University. The multi award-winning K-Briq is made from over 90% recycled demolition and construction waste materials, produces one tenth of the carbon dioxide emissions of a traditional fired brick, and requires less than one tenth of the energy in its manufacture. By re-using recycled materials, Kenoteq will lead the delivery of a circular economy revolution for the construction sector.
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) is urging builders’ merchants and building materials manufacturers to encourage all colleagues to get the COVID-19 vaccine when eligible. The BMF has come together with other leading businesses, employer and industry bodies to help spread the message about the biggest vaccination programme in the UK’s history. They will urge member companies to do their part and do everything they can to ensure colleagues are protected and get everyone back to work safely.
Among the first 14 champions from across the UK’s construction supply chain to declare their commitment to support C02nstructZero were four member companies from the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF). The initial champions have been selected by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) for having demonstrated their commitment towards the sector’s drive to reducing carbon emissions in the delivery and operation of the built environment.
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) invites you to join them for their second Young Merchant Conference. The event will take place on Wednesday 6th October 2021 at The Concourse Suite, NEC, Birmingham, and will be held in connection with UK Construction Week. The event will include a visit to the Build Show which is adjacent to the Conference Suite.
The demerger between Wickes and Travis Perkins has now completed, with Wickes rejoining the London Stock Exchange as a standalone company. Alongside the demerger, Travis Perkins shareholders also approved the resolution to consolidate shares in Travis Perkins. Both Wickes and the remainder of the business have been enjoying strong sales, attributed to people doing more DIY and home repairs during Covid-19 lockdowns.
Construction equipment sales saw a 30 percent increase in first-quarter UK sales, suggesting significant momentum in the market. This is according to the construction equipment statistics exchange run by Systematics International Ltd, in partnership with the Construction Equipment Association (CEA). Incredibly, retail sales of construction and earthmoving equipment in the UK and Northern Ireland in March 2021 were almost double the levels seen in March last year when the pandemic first made an impact.
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) and The Institute of Builders Merchants (IoBM) has announced a merger – the IoBM will be separately managed and will operate as a brand within the BMF. The merger has been approved by IoBM members because it will give the Institute access to wider resources and personnel, but still give them autonomy with its own management body. The arrangement has been effective since 1st May 2021 – all Institute members will keep their current membership grade, subject to the payment of annual subscriptions.
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) has launched a new scheme to provide NHS workers with discounts at local builders’ merchants. The scheme, launched on 12th April 2021, involves 33 BMF merchants who between them operate 1,225 branches throughout the country. Each participating BMF member will be offering their own discounts, averaging at around a 10 per cent reduction on the standard price. This is for NHS workers presenting ID such as an NHS staff card.
The finalists for the Builders’ Merchants Awards, to be held virtually on 14th May 2021, have been announced. The judges, who are all leaders within the building and construction industry, came together for a virtual judging day and have decided on three finalists for each category, due to the exceptional number and high level of nominations.
House-building, commercial projects and infrastructure work have all been displaying strong growth in the latest snapshot of the construction sector, which accounts for around 6 per cent of total UK output. This is according to the latest IHS Markit/CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply) UK Construction Total Activity Index, which registered 61.7 in March, a sharp increase from 53.3 in February.
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) Apprenticeships Plus is urging BMF members in England to take advantage of the Government’s temporary boost to apprenticeships funding. A £3,000 grant will be paid to any employer hiring a new apprentice between 1st April and 30th September 2021 – and this incentive is available for apprentices of any age.
According to the latest Builders Merchants Building Index (BMBI) report, builders merchants’ sales remained strong even through the third lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kingfisher, the company that owns DIY retailer B&Q, has said that their pre-tax profit jumped 44%, while sales increased to £12.3bn in the year to 31st January 2021. They put this down to the Covid-19 pandemic giving rise to an increase in 18-34-year-olds doing more home improvements than any other age group.
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has conducted research which shows that, with an industry-wide investment in skills and a considerable recruitment drive, reducing built environment emissions to net zero can be achieved. Net zero refers to a state in which the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere.
There are a number of ways in which builders’ merchants can utilise technology to help them free up time and save costs – one of these is through more streamlined inventory management. This is a key consideration for builders’ merchants because losing track of inventory can be very costly and can also drain time and resources to correct mistakes, and affect a business’s reputation when customers are disappointed by delays. Luckily, there have been some fantastic advances in inventory management, meaning businesses can automate their inventory tracking and manufacturing, thus streamlining the entire process.
With the government’s roadmap out of the COVID-19 pandemic underway, Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced a series of measures that he hopes will “protect the jobs and livelihoods of the British people.” This includes an extension of the Furlough Scheme for a further five months, from May until the end of September 2021. In addition, much has been detailed regarding support to businesses including a new UK-wide scheme launching this autumn to help 100,000 SMEs save time and money by adopting productivity-enhancing software, enabling them to transform the way they do business.
Hundreds of UK companies have been compromised as part of a global campaign that has been linked to Chinese hackers. Cyber-security firm Eset has said more than 500 email servers in the UK may have been hacked – with many not knowing they have been victims of the attack. The race is now on for affected companies to check for recent compromises to their systems and ensure no webshells have been installed on their servers.
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) has produced a video infographic to show safe operating guidelines for builders’ merchants while Covid-19 restrictions continue. The video infographic forms part of the BMF’s Branch Operating Guidelines during Covid-19 document published last week. The guidelines cover five key areas, and incorporate Public Health England (PHE) guidance.