News

The latest Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report reveals that builders’ merchants’ value sales were virtually flat (+0.2%) in July 2022 compared to the same month in 2021. As in previous months, volume sales were down (-12.8%) yet price inflation remained high (+15.0%). 10 of the 12 categories sold more …

Responding to newly appointed Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng MP’s speech on the UK Government’s Growth Plan. John Newcomb, CEO of the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF), said: “In the fortnight since coming to power, the new UK Government has acted quickly to put Liz Truss’s leadership election campaign pledges into action. “Today’s …

Russell Roof Tiles has invested a further £75,000 into machinery, with a new 1+1 injection moulding tool that is set to increase its production capacity. That takes its 2022 investment to almost £2.25 million, following the recent capital investment which the manufacturer made to its utility plant in Lochmaben, plus …

The Pallet LOOP is celebrating after winning a top Sustainability Award from the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF). The Pallet LOOP beat off stiff competition from long-established industry players to win the BMF’s 2022 Sustainability Award at the BMF Annual Members Conference and Awards. The 2022 BMF Sustainability Award was presented …

Beesley & Fildes has opened a new £2m distribution centre in Widnes to accommodate the growth in demand for building products. Situated near key strategic highways, including the M56, M62 and M57, the facility will support the business’s 11 north west-based branches and its online click and collect customers. The …

Stuart Chappell, an employee at Parker Building Supplies’ Uckfield branch, has completed a 60+ mile walk along the south coast, raising £3,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust charity. Setting off from Folkestone, with an overnight stop at Rye, Chappell’s route took in Hythe, Dungeness and Camber, before heading up (and down) …

Builders merchant buying group The Combined Buying Association (CBA) has undertaken a strategic review and, to achieve more national coverage, is opening up to new members. CBA is the longest standing building material purchasing consortium and members are predominantly made up of a small number of significant regional independent merchants. …

The Construction Youth Trust and the Maddie Rose Campaign are calling for organisations across the supplier and merchanting sector to change their branding across social media to the colour yellow to raise awareness of Maddie’s Day (22 September). The Maddie Rose Campaign was set up in the memory and celebration …

Watford Mencap has won £500 worth of materials from Selco Builders Warehouse through the Community Heroes campaign. The charity supports more than 600 local people with learning disabilities each year. The Community Heroes funding will allow Watford Mencap to create an allotment where members can learn horticultural skills while growing …

The BMF has welcomed today’s announcement from Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg MP on support for energy bills, which it says will help tackle a real concern for the industry. John Newcomb, CEO of the BMF, said: “Rising energy bills are a very real concern for our industry. The BMF and …