News

Tool advent calendar raises £2000 for children’s charity

Draper Tools present cheque and toys to Cash for Kids 002

Following the launch of its 2022 tool advent calendar, Draper Tools pledged to donate £1 from the sale of every calendar to the children’s charity, Cash for Kids. £2,000 was raised and it was recently presented to the charity alongside a bumper donation of toys and gifts for the charity’s …

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Toyota donation boosts flow of humanitarian aid to Ukraine

toyota forklift donation

Boxes of Hope, a humanitarian aid charity that was established to send food, clothing, medicine and other essential items to the people of Ukraine following the country’s invasion by Russia, has taken delivery of a vinyl-wrapped forklift truck donated free-of-charge by Toyota Material Handling (TMH) UK Ltd. The forklift – …

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Huws Gray and John Barnes surprise customer

John Barnes with winner Jonny at Huws Gray Bentham

Independent builders’ merchant, Huws Gray has given away a Grono pod worth £15,000 to one of their customers and football legend and competition ambassador John Barnes presented the prize to the winner. The competition has been open to all customers purchasing from any Huws Gray or Buildbase store throughout the …

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Cost of living concerns see showering surge

iStock 1303774341

More people in the UK are turning to showers rather than baths as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite. That’s according to research from shower manufacturer Triton, which says there this offers even more opportunity for merchants to emphasis the economic benefits of electric showers . The shower manufacturer’s latest survey of …

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MKM steps into Christmas giving campaign

MKM Milton Keynes JAR 1735 3

Builders merchant group MKM supported the the Cash for Kids ‘Mission Christmas’ campaign for the 13th consecutive year in the run-up to Christmas 2022. The initiative ensures that disadvantaged children and young people nationwide will have something to open on Christmas Day.  This year, MKM’s Central Support in Hull organised …

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Product availability returning to pre-Covid levels

brick stocks

Overall product availability is good and returning to pre-Covid levels, according to  Construction Leadership Council’s Product Availability working group. That said, some bricks, blocks, plasterboard and roofing products are occasionally still subject to disruption or allocation, although lead times for these products are now far lower than earlier in the …

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IBMG launches cost of living package for employees

IBMG staff RSW09522

One of the largest groups of independent builders merchant in the UK,  IBMG (Independent Builders Merchant Group) has launched a comprehensive cost of living support package for its employees. Some 2,000+ employees across the 20 brands of the Independent Builders Merchant Group (IBMG), will benefit from a three-pronged package of additional support …

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October plumbing & heating sales up +6.7% year-on-year

PHMI October 2022 Highlights Infographic

The latest figures from the Plumbing & Heating Merchant Index (PHMI) report show total value sales for October 2022 through specialist plumbing and heating merchants were +6.7% higher than October 2021. With volumes easing -1.5%, year-on-year value sales growth was wholly driven by price inflation (+8.3%). Month-on-month October value sales …

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October merchant sales climb, but inflation drives growth

BMBI October 2022

The latest Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report reveals that builders’ merchants’ value sales were up +7.5% in October 2022 compared to the same month in 2021. Volume sales dropped again (-5.6%) while prices climbed +13.9%, so price inflation was the driving factor of growth. 11 of the 12 categories …

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Russell Roof Tiles brings Christmas cheer to charities

Andrew and Liz Omahoney from Winshill Neighbourhood Resource Centre in the middle receiving cheque from Russell Roof Tiles 002

Russell Roof Tiles has brought some much-needed festive cheer to charities close to its Burton and Lochmaben sites – donating an impressive £55,300. The company has presented a number of its Burton charities with a £6,300 donation at their special event held at its site on Wetmore Lane, which is …

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