News

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 …

Travis Perkins has revealed it axed jobs at the end of last year and stated it plans to make further cuts as a result of a slowdown in construction. The Group, which also own Toolstation, mainly cut jobs at its Northampton headquarters and its central support teams – some of …

The NMBS Exhibition will take place on 10–11 April 2024 at the Coventry Building Society Arena. Last year’s event achieved record numbers, welcoming more than 280 exhibitors, 558 independent merchant member companies and 1,084 visitors through the Coventry Building Society Arena doors. Chris Hayward, chief executive officer at NMBS, said: …

Tippers Builders Merchants has hailed the product training and in-branch support provided by Setcrete in helping the merchant to achieve record levelling compound sales. The merchant recorded a 51% increase in sales of Setcrete products from 2021 to 2022, which has further increased over the past 12 months. Tippers director, …

The UK Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance Lord Callanan visited the Cemex Rugby cement works in Warwickshire last Friday (January 12) to gain an insight into the actions needed to decarbonise the UK’s ‘dispersed’ cement plants. The Mineral Products Association (MPA) and Cemex, hosted the visit to highlight …

Lauren Haines, director at Southampton-based Elliotts Builders Merchants is celebrating 50 years in the building industry, having joined the family-run company in December 1973. Starting work as a typist in the brick department at a time when typing pools, stenciling price sheets by hand and making phone calls from a …

Sentry Fire Safety Group, the fire safety and security doorset manufacturer, showed Ed Miliband, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, round its Doncaster manufacturing facility last week (January 12). Having last visited the firm in 2011, Miliband toured Sentry’s newly expanded facility, chatted to staff, learnt …

Pupils at a Leeds primary school are ready to further embrace the great outdoors thanks to a donation from a leading builders merchant. Shakespeare Primary School and Nursery, which has around 700 pupils and is based on Lincoln Road, have been donated materials by the Leeds Roundhay branch of Selco …