Blogs

Lord what fools these mortals be Reading a certain story in the paper this morning, (Friday 23rd) I found myself struck by a very curious, unsettling feeling. It took me a while and two cups of tea to work out what it was and when I did I was really …

‘Twas ever thus—from childhood’s hour I’ve seen my fondest hopes decay Once upon a time, our news pages were full of stories of builders merchants selling up to national merchant chains, of companies hawking the family jewels off to the highest bidder. Its how Travis Perkins, Wolseley, Jewson and Grafton …

And at my back I always hear Time’s winged chariot drawing near So it’s the end of austerity is it? Hmmm. I’ll believe that when I see it. Chancellor Phillip Hammond’s latest Budget on Monday was, on the surface, full of treats rather than tricks. Apparently they moved it from its traditional …

And another one gone, and another one gone Another one bites the dust Hey, I’m gonna get you, too Another one bites the dust Once upon a time, barely two decades ago, a little builder’s merchant was set up in Wales. Because that was the sort of thing that someone …

You can dance, you can jive Having the time of your life Maybe I’m getting soft in my old age, but I’m slightly, (only slightly, mind you) warming to Teresa May. It’s not that I think the Chequers deal is the right one for the UK post-Brexit, rather that I’m …

The Web as I envisaged it, we have not seen it yet. The future is still so much bigger than the past. Hands-up who listened to Dr David Day at the BMF Members’ Day event with an increasing sense of trepidation an, by the end, downright terror? Surely I wasn’t …

Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success. It’s Party Conference season again, so the papers and the Twitter timelines are full of keynote speeches and new policies that may or not be implemented, depending on whether they are announced by the incumbents or the wannabes. Plus, …

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness; but still will keep A bower quiet for us,   Regular readers know I’m a sucker for a beautiful building. It doesn’t really matter of it’s a modern one or a Gothic cathedral …

Tarmac Cement’s Patrick Edwards looks at brand longevity and what merchants can learn from it. As one of the building industry’s most iconic brands, Tarmac’s Blue Circle cement product brand has demonstrated lasting appeal over the last 100 years. As the brand continues to evolve in a connected world where …