Blogs

A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Else, what’s a heav’n for? It was great while it lasted. The England football team’s gallant quest for a huge shiny piece of bling for the St George’s Park trophy cabinet. They will win one. They surely will. Just not this year. Just …

O, it is excellent To have a giant’s strength, but it is tyrannous To use it like a giant Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Once upon a time there was a small independent builder’s merchant who had ambitions to be a bigger independent builder’s merchant. So, they …

From the sublime to the ridiculous there is but a step Well, that was a weird weekend. I’m pretty sure there were lots of newsworthy things going on the world that would have been a better start to my Friday morning than seeing a picture of our erstwhile health secretary …

Confusion now hath made his masterpiece When is a hug not a hug? When no-one sees you do it? That must be the reason why last night’s England V Czech Republic game was sans Chilwell or Mount because they hugged their Chelsea teammate Billy Gilmour. ‘Typhoid Billy’ has tested positive …

Gareth Osborne at Tarmac Cement offers a few tips to merchants looking to step things up a gear in 2021. Builders merchants have been key in helping support the construction industry’s recovery after a turbulent year, maximising their essential retail status to support trades that worked through COVID-19 restrictions. Growing …

What are you rebelling against? What have you got? So near and yet, so far. Just when we think things are getting back to normal – proper normal that is, not the new normal – the data proves otherwise and we are back in the midst of a huge lockdown, …

The scene: A dark alley, at the rear of a builders merchant yard. Midnight. Somewhere in Britain.   One man sits in a dirty white van as another drives up and flashes his lights, twice. They both get out of their vehicles. Man 2: Got the stuff? All of it? …

Most people sell their souls, And live with a good conscience on the proceeds Almost 11 years to the day since Travis Perkins’ then CEO Geoff Cooper surprised the markets with a bid, subsequently successful, for the BSS Group, his successor bar one, Nick Roberts, has overseen the long-touted divestment …

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. “In these unprecedented times”; “Due to the coronavirus situation”; “Because of the staff shortages caused by the pandemic”; “our service levels may slip below what you might expect”; “it may take longer for us to answer your query”: What do …

Alison Relf, managing director of specialist construction PR firm Taylor Alden, looks at what merchants could think about to boost their marketing might. The “marketing” industry is full of inspirational ideas on how to promote your message and brand today. Communication channels and marketing techniques have become busier and more …