News

Selco Builders Warehouse, part of the Grafton Group, has committed to a £5 million branch refurbishment programme in 2021, modernising 18 of its longest-standing branches throughout this year. Three of the branches – Catford, Ruislip and Barking – will undergo major improvements to customer and colleague facing areas, while a …

Kingfisher is to open 40 more stores at its Screwfix business this year, creating up to 500 new jobs. Screwfix currently has 711 stores in the UK and 12 stores in Ireland employing 11,643 people. It’s target is to have 900 in the UK and ROI. The rapid growth of …

The boss of Archwood Group, the North Wales-based parent of Richard Burbidge and Atkinson & Kirby has told the BBC of the pressures companies are facing from long delays and extra costs due to Brexit and urges a more ‘streamlined’ approach to paperwork. Josh Burbidge, managing director of Archwood Group, told …

The UFEMAT Congress scheduled to take place in London from 14-17 October 2021 has been postponed for six months due to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic. The conference, which brings together builders merchants, building material suppliers and trade bodies from across Europe, will now be held from 28-30 April 2022. The …

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published the first sector-wide skills plan for construction, developed by industry. The Industry Skills Plan for the UK Construction Sector 2021-25, sets out the key skills challenges facing construction and how they will be tackled and has been welcomed by the Builders Merchants Federation. …

Sussex-based builders merchant Parkers Building Supplies, has launched its online 24 hour trade shop in response to customers’ growing need to be able to order and buy materials at their own convenience day or night, 365 days a year. The new online platform provides builders with a paperwork portal which …

BMJ Trailblazers is the annual tracker of the top UK builders merchants’ latest statistics and information. It’s the hymn sheet for the industry in terms of who’s who and how everyone is doing.   Trailblazers includes the top 52 builders, plumbers and timber merchants in the UK – those with …

The CPA’s new proposed Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) addresses the credibility challenge facing our industry following Grenfell. Catherine Fyfe, Marketing Director at Polypipe and Deputy Chair of the CPA’s Marketing Integrity Group, explains how the Code was formed, its significance in rebuilding trust and why builders’ merchants need …

National construction charity Band of Builders has teamed up with professional tools brand DEWALT® in a partnership that will provide help and support to tradespeople impacted by illness, injury, or financial crisis across the UK. Band of Builders (BoB) is a registered charity that aids members of the construction industry …

Builders merchants trade association the Builders Merchants Federation is supporting CO2nstruct Zero, the Construction Leadership Council’s response to the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, published in November 2020, which set out a path to Net Zero by 2050. CO2nstruct Zero is the CLC’s cross industry …