ForgeFix, a distributor of fixings and fasteners, has launched its ‘Screw Prostate Cancer’ campaign in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK, aiming to raise £100,000 and get 100,000 men to check their risk of prostate cancer with the Prostate Cancer UK online risk checker. Throughout the campaign, ForgeFix will be donating £2 to …

Water management manufacturer DAB Pumps is calling on UK and Irish merchants to take a firm stand against the distribution of non-compliant circulating pumps following a series of official safety warnings and enforcement notices issued in Ireland. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) in Ireland issued a Product Safety …

Builders’ merchant Travis Perkins has expanded its Birmingham Central branch, more than doubling its size. The site, Located on South Road in Hockley, was previously an acre in size but it is now roughly 2.2 acres after work to improve its flagship Birmingham branch was completed in December 2025. The improved …

The latest figures from the Plumbing & Heating Merchant Index (PHMI) report show total value sales for October 2025 through specialist plumbing and heating merchants were up +0.8% compared to October 2024. Volume sales however, decreased -2.1% while prices increased +2.9% year-on-year. With one extra trading day in October, month-on-month …

The latest Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report has been published, showing builders’ merchants’ total value sales in October 2025 were up +0.2% compared to the same month a year before.  Year-on-year volumes were also up +0.8%, but prices were down -0.6%, with no difference in trading days. Mike Rigby, …

STARK Building Materials UK (STARK UK) has appointed Fiona Perrin as managing director of Jewson Partnership Solutions (JPS). Perrin has held a number of senior leadership positions in the industry, including chairman of the Independent Builders Merchant Group in its early days and managing director level roles in HSS Hire. …

Liverpool timber merchant, Terry’s Timber, has welcomed a new 7.5-tonne Isuzu N75.190(E) into its commercial vehicle fleet, supplied by local dealer Ditchburn Truck Services. Continuing a long-standing relationship with the manufacturer, the company’s latest rigid was selected from the Isuzu Truck UK Driveaway range, replacing an identical truck in a …

Mick Ballard, a yard customer assistant at Travis Perkins Leicester Central branch, has celebrated 50 years with the business. The 77-year-old started with Travis & Arnold in 1975 before it merged with Sandell Perkins in 1988 to become Travis Perkins. During his time with the company, he has held a variety of …

The BMF (Builders Merchants Federation) Winter Forecast Report confirms a stagnant market for building materials sales in the second half of 2025, and does not expect significant growth in the first quarter of 2026.   After a promising start to the year, Q3 2025 proved challenging for building materials sales, prompting …

Geberit UK & Ireland has announced the appointment of Matthew Balnaves as its new national sales director Balnaves joins Geberit from wienerberger, succeeding Andy Lever, who was recently appointed managing director following the retirement of Mark Larden. In his new role, Balnaves will be responsible for leading Geberit’s national sales …