News

Kevin Fenlon has been installed as Master of the Worshipful Company of Builders’ Merchants (WCoBM) for the ensuing year, to be supported during his year in office by Senior Warden Steve Durdant-Hollamby, and Junior Warden Julian Milligan. The ceremony, which took place at Fishmongers Hall in London on Friday 23rd …

 The  Get Britain Building campaign, developed by the Building Alliance and the Federation of Master Builders, has been relaunched. It sets out four clear pillars to drive rapid economic growth, and focuses on creating skilled employment, strengthening the construction supply chain and increasing the participation of SMEs.   At the …

Total UK construction output is forecast to fall by 4.0% in 2026, with 2027 only bringing a rise of 0.4%. That’s according to the latest Construction Products Association forecasts, released on Friday. This is a revision down from a fall of 3.3% expected in 2026 and a rise of 1.2% …

MGN Builders Merchants has recently completed a major transformation of its Woodford branch, bringing together a refreshed trade counter, a brick library and an MGN Home Interiors showroom under one roof. The refurbished branch is designed to make it easier for tradespeople, developers and homeowners to source building materials, explore …

Toolstation’s loyalty programme, Toolstation Club, has hit over one million members, marking a significant milestone in the merchant’s customer engagement strategy. Since launching in January 2024, there has been a strong and sustained up-take in membership sign-ups to the free-to-join rewards programme. To celebrate the milestone, Toolstation has launched a …

Specialist roofing merchant Roofbase has announced plans to open a new branch in Sheffield in January 2027. The Sheffield branch, located at 22 Atlas Way, will support local roofers, builders and contractors with a comprehensive range of products for pitched and flat roofing projects. Roofbase plans to recruit people from …

Family-run builders’ and plumbers’ merchant, Nationwide Supplies, has implemented Podfather logistics software to improve the planning and reporting of more than 25,000 deliveries a year. The Hertfordshire-based company implemented the solution to replace paper delivery notes and manual processes, providing visibility of its mobile operation. Using Podfather, which includes route …

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey, needs to provide confidence, and not simply, hope with his ambitions for the housing. That’s according to Civils & Lintels’  managing director Allan Wright, who hopes Healey’s first Budget next week will give the industry definitive timelines and tangible action to boost confidence. …

On Saturday 14th November, a team from north-east based builders merchant JT Atkinson will be taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge. The group want to raise money to support their friend Ali from ECC Timber, who is living with motor neurone disease (MND). The company says: “Ali is much …

Policies and good intentions need to be acted upon, and inclusion embedded into everyday leadership, behaviour and decision-making in the construction sector. That’s the message that came out of the Construction Inclusion Coalition’s 2026 conference. The Coalition in Conversation event brought together senior figures from across construction and the built …