My way in life lay stretched out straight before me through the newly-entered road of apprenticeship to Joe I’ve been hearing, and writing, a lot about apprenticeships in the past couple of weeks. Not only was the first week in March designated as National Apprenticeships Week, but I also went …

Independent builders merchant buying group National Buying Group has announced its new managing director. Mark Hughes joins the group with more than 35 years’ experience in a number of senior positions with building products manufacturers. During that time, he has worked closely with independent merchants and buying groups, developing a …

Home life ceases to be free and beautiful as soon as it is founded on borrowing and debt. The UK housing market is like one of those plants with massive long, deep-set roots, that burrow away and puts up shoots all over the place. Yet it’s in a mess. Although …

Revenue at brick maker Ibstock fell 21% to £406m for the year ending December 31 2023, taking pre-tax profits down 71% to £30m, on the back of the slowdown in the new housebuilding market, and  an exceptional charge of £31 million,   following the restructuring programme undertaken during the year. The …

Independent, family-owned builders merchant Beesley & Fildes has invested £300,000 in a new timber treatment plant at its Chester branch. Replacing an existing facility, the fully-automated plant can operate all year round and for the first time, enables the merchant to treat timbers in green and brown from its Chester …

Radiator maker Stelrad reported a resilient performance for the year ending December 31 2023, with revenue slightly down by 2.6% at £308.2m, due to headwinds in new build and RMI activity. There was a 17.9% improvement in operating profit to £26.7m, driven by 13% increase in contribution per radiator thanks …

Brick and block maker Forterra chose International Women’s day 2024 to celebrate Charlotte Wood, plant manager at its Measham Brickworks in Leicestershire. Nottingham-born Wood has moved through diverse sectors such as food production, beverages, and healthcare, where she honed her skills in management, lean process improvement, and cultural change, before …

James Jones & Sons launched a series of short films in celebration of International Women’s Day this week. The films aim to showcase the number of careers and opportunities there are across the timber and forestry industry and to dispel the myth that the timber industry is just for men. …

The Independent Builders Merchant Group (IBMG) has launched a group-wide TradeSaver campaign. Running until the end of April, the first stage of the campaign offers discounts from 5% to 15% on a range of products. Designed especially for IBMG’s small and medium sized building and plumbing trade customers the TradeSaver …

Marley has further extended its complete renewable system with the launch of a new solar inverter and battery storage solutions. Now available alongside the company’s integrated solar PV full roof system, the addition of the ES G2 Hybrid Inverter combined with the new Lynx Home U Series Battery solutions, can be complemented …