News

The National Merchant Buying Society (NMBS) is calling on employers in the builder’s merchant sector to take advantage of government funding to re-skill staff and onboard new recruits through apprenticeships as it marks this year’s National Apprenticeship Week. The Government provides up to 95% funding for employers to hire someone …

Grant UK has presented Wiltshire Air Ambulance with a donation of £20,000 to support the lifesaving work it provides to the local community with its delivery of critical medical care. It has supported Wiltshire Air Ambulance since 2019 and during this time it has organised fundraising activities with the company …

Tunbridge Wells and Aylesford based Plumbers’ merchant, Plumb 4 Less is now a Partner merchant of National Buying Group (NBG). Having been in business for more than 25 years, Plumb 4 Less – which also trades as ASK Plumbing – supplies all plumbing parts, boilers, taps, showers, and bathroom suites …

2024 will see significant change to the legal liabilities of building services contractors because of new powers introduced under the Building Safety Act, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA). The extension of the claims period for defects from six to 30 years is the standout potential legal issue …

Artificial Lawn Company has partnered with Nottingham based Let’s Recycle Artificial Grass (LRAG), a specialist in the regeneration of waste artificial grass; LRAG will collect and recycle all old and discarded grass that the company removes, as well as offcuts, roll ends and trimmings collected during installation. After collection, LRAG …

Timber Development UK has released a statement following recent stories and claims about chemical treatment from roofing battens leaching out and causing damage to roofing membranes, as well as claims of it causing skin complaints among roofing personnel. It explained that it was not in a position to verify or …

Civils & Lintels, part of the Huws Gray group of companies, has made a bold statement of support for Mates in Mind, a national charity that raises awareness of the stigma of poor mental health, especially in the construction sector. The nationwide leading distributor of lintels, drainage, and heavy-side building …

The latest Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report highlighted that builders’ merchants’ sales were down 4% in October 2023, compared to the same month in 2022 – volume sales dropping -11.5% and prices rising +8.4%. Eight of the twelve categories sold more in October 2023 compared to the previous year, …

Plumbing and Heating Merchant Index (PHMI) report shows that sales through specialist and heating merchants were up 3.3% compared to a year ago – this is a result of an increase in a price and not volume of sales. Compared to September, October value sales were up 12.4%. Volume sales …

A fifth of UK tradespeople think they will have to keep working beyond the state pension age of 66, research has revealed. The study, conducted by IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest supplier of specialist ironmongery, surveyed 500 tradespeople about their plans for retirement and found that a large proportion are pessimistic …