News

This year’s BMF (Builders Merchants Federation) MasterMerchant competition saw teams from merchants and suppliers take on a series of physical challenges over one of the hottest weekends of the year.   The contest took place in Ingleton, North Yorkshire, saw teams try their hand at canyoning and caving, after scaling …

Sussex bespoke timber fire doors and joinery manufacturer Forza Doors has renewed its support of  Partridge Green Youth Football Club, a club it has been supporting for four years. During Forza Doors’ four year sponsorship, the club has celebrated league and cup success, including the U15 team winning their league, …

Huws Gray Partnership Solutions has launched a pioneering new Specials Management Hub, designed to transform the way housing providers, local authorities and contractors source specialist and hard-to-find building products. Currently being rolled out across Huws Gray Partnership Solutions‘ nationwide account portfolio, the bespoke hub has been developed in-house to provide …

David Paley has been celebrating his silver anniversary with Travis Perkins Hire, having joined the company in 2001. Paley started at the Durham branch where he was the first branch hire manager in the North East; in 2020, he became branch hire manager at the Burnopfield branch. He said: “I …

A rare opportunity to step inside the kiln of clay tile manufacturer BMI Redland’s Bedworth-based Rosemary Kiln has provided new insight into the production of its Rosemary roof tiles.   Produced from Etruria Marl clay collected in Staffordshire, the classic Rosemary Clay Tile range has been a feature of UK architecture …

Tom Reynolds, former Chief Executive of the British Brands Group, and, before that, of the British Bathroom Association, will be the new Chief Executive Officer of the Builders Merchants Federation. Reynolds will take up his post on November 9; his appointment is part of the leadership transition at the BMF, …

James Latham, the  270-year-old British timber and panel products distributor, has chosen Alzheimer’s Society as its official charity partner for 2026/27, after a company-wide vote across the company’s network of depots and offices in the UK and Ireland. The new partnership formalises and extends a relationship that is already making a …

Building materials supplier Heidelberg Materials UK has agreed planning conditions with Somerset Council to reopen Westdown quarry, near Frome. The 160 million tonne limestone quarry  has been dormant since the late 1980s. Site preparations are now set to get underway this autumn ahead of Westdown quarry’s scheduled reopening in the …

Builders merchants trade association, the Builders Merchants Federation wants Andy Burnham to make housing an immediate priority  now he is Prime Minister.  BMF CEO John Newcomb said: “The confirmation today of Andy Burnham MP as the Prime Minister should provide fresh impetus to revive the housing market to Get Britain Building …

A 145-year-old timber merchant, Silverstone-based Linnell Bros, has made significant investments across the business, adding a cross-cut line and a double-ended tenoner to its mill, as well as a new 7.5-tonne truck and a 26-tonne HIAB lorry to its delivery fleet. The new machinery has been installed to improve accuracy …