The pace of business has increased rapidly, and the need for vigilant, yet speedy and accurate credit checks has kept up. Fiona Russell Horne looks at one option for merchants. Builders’ merchants have long been thought of as the industry bankers. Customers open up credit accounts and take their goods …

Landscaping supplier Global Stone has rebranded as Global Landscaping, a new umbrella brand that will bring its product portfolio together.  The change claifies the company’s entire product range. The move follows a strategic brand review designed to simplify the group’s branding, eliminate duplication and create a scalable platform for future …

Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience Ever get that sense that you spoke too soon? This time last week I was writing about the surprising fact that there appeared to have been a ceasefire called in the …

Independent builders merchant buying group NBG has announced the appointment of Chris Hayward as its new Non‑Executive Chair from 1st July 2026. As former CEO of NMBS, Hayward has been a long‑standing supporter of the independent merchant community and will bring deep sector knowledge, strategic insight and a highly collaborative …

It is a tale told by an idiot, all sound and fury signifying nothing Last night, I went to bed wondering if this is what it must have felt like to be alive during the Cuban Missile Crisis, that whisper in the head of “what happens if we wake up …

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. I really, really hate the thought of being one of those commentators who is always talking things down for the sake …

Marsh Industries has a new promotion, “Tanks to Go”, designed to support quicker turnaround times for customers while offering added value. Customers collecting directly from Marsh’s Bridgwater and Little Addington production centres will receive 5% off when they arrange collection directly from site. The offer is available on Sewage treatment plants for 6–10 …

Builders merchant Huws Gray has been fined over £2m after one of its workers was crushed to death by a pallet of timber. Paul Coulson, 56, was removing plastic packaging from pallets of timber before they could be processed at the the company’s Herringswell Sawmills, in Bury St Edmonds. He …

The British Coatings Federation has urged the Government to support its PaintCare initiative, launched this month. PaintCare UK is the UK’s first voluntary, industry‑led takeback scheme for leftover decorative paint and packaging, delivered by the BCF on behalf of paint manufacturers in partnership with participating retail and trade outlets. The …

Global brick giant wienerberger UK & Ireland will operate the world’s first commercial‑scale hydrogen‑fired brick plant, at its brickworks in Denton, Greater Manchester, having secured government-backed funding for the landmark project. The funding, via the UK Government’s Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IEFT), will part‑support a £6 million conversion programme that …