News

Kitchen supplier Benchmarx has opened a new showroom in Leytonstone, as part of a wider Travis Perkins branch relocation. Travis Perkins has made the move from Stratford to Leytonstone, increasing from an acre in size to nearly three acres and now including a purpose-built Benchmarx showroom, making this Benchmarx’s 133rd …

Bathroom distributor PJH is celebrating the first anniversary of its exclusive distribution partnership with Norwegian wall panel specialist Fibo. The partnership combines Fibo’s design-led wall panel technology with PJH’s nationwide logistics infrastructure, giving retailers, installers and merchants access to a comprehensive portfolio of more than 200 SKUs, including wall panels, profiles …

Toolstation, suppliers of tools and building supplies, has partnered with British Heart Foundation (BHF) to train all 5,000 of its colleagues in CPR through RevivR, their CPR training tool, before the end of the year.  Through the partnership, Toolstation and BHF will provide tradespeople with crucial information about cardiovascular disease …

The latest Plumbing & Heating Merchant Index (PHMI) report, published by MRA research in March, shows like-for-like Q4 2025 value sales, adjusted to remove the impact of trading days, were +0.7% higher than the same period in 2024. Like-for-like volume sales decreased by -3.3%. With no difference in trading days, …

The latest Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report, produced by MRA Research, reveals builders’ merchants’ like-for-like value sales for Q4 2025, adjusted to remove the impact of trading days, were -1.2% lower than Q4 2024.  With no difference in trading days, unadjusted Q4 total value sales were also down -1.2% year-on-year. …

Daikin’s manufacturing facility in Ostend, Belgium, has received the Factory of the Future award for the fourth consecutive time. Awarded by the Belgian technology federations, Agoria and Sirris, the Factory of the Future Award recognises companies that demonstrate commitment to digitalisation, talent development, smart processes, sustainable products and world-class production. …

Marshalls plc, a supplier of hard landscaping, building and roofing products, has become a Silver Sponsoring Partner of the charity Building Heroes, supporting programmes that help members of the Armed Forces community move into civilian roles across construction. Building Heroes delivers short intensive training with high quality training provider partners …

The Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) has welcomed the publication of PAS 2000 by British Standards Institution (BSI), a new Publicly Available Specification that provides guidance to improve the safety of construction products placed on the UK market. The specification has been developed following experience gained from PAS 7050:2022, which …

Howdens, the trade kitchen supplier, has launched Proud to Fit, a new campaign celebrating local tradespeople across the UK. The campaign features real tradespeople and customers of Howdens, including kitchen fitter Tom Easter of T&N Kitchens from Essex, carpenter Gavin Tutton of Gavin Tutton carpentry from Kenilworth, carpenter Jack Irvine …

MRA Building Market Reports (MRA Reports) has released its latest quarterly update on the general builders’ merchant market. The UK Builders’ Merchants Q1 Update: Pulse & Forecasts report showed that, although market confidence levels haven’t improved, 41% of merchant branches expect their sales to increase in Q1 compared with sales …