News

Growth has accelerated in the UK construction sector with the second half of the year getting underway; July saw much faster increases in both activity and new orders , according to the headline S&P Global UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index™ (PMI), which rose sharply to 55.3 in July from 52.2 …

Sales at builders merchant group Travis Perkins plc fell 4.4% in the six months to June 30, its has published half year results revealed this morning (August 6). Lower volumes and the added impact of price deflation on the group’s Merchanting division gross margin saw adjusted operating profit fall to …

  A first-half pre-tax loss of £11.3m on turnover of £1.32bn has been posted by insulation and building materials distribution giant SIG for the six months to June 30 2024. The same period last year reported a pre-tax profit of £12.2m and turnover of £1.4bn. The downturn in fortunes has …

PJH has donated £21,531 to Macmillan Cancer Support. The company partnered with the charity last summer with the goal of raising £10,000, which PJH promised to match. After a year’s worth of fundraising activities, PJH colleagues throughout the UK took part in a wide range of challenges and events, smashing …

James Hardie has launched its Hardie® Plank challenge to raise awareness around its Hardie® VL Plank range, which offers quality, versatility and 20% faster installation times than alternative cladding products. The Hardie® Plank challenge is a roadshow event taking place in 25 locations across the UK in collaboration with a …

Richmond Dales Amateur Swimming Club (ASC), located in North Yorkshire, has received a £3000 donation from SIG Roofing to support its fully inclusive performance swimming development provision. Richmond Dales ASC  has 155 members, many of whom perform at national and regional level, and over the years, has developed a Para …

Builders and timber merchant Hitchcock & King which trades from six branches across south and south west London has appointed Steve Absolom and Nick Holloway from Interpath Advisory as Joint Administrators of Hitchcock & King Enterprises Limited on 31 July 2024. The company, with branches in Ashford, Burgh Heath, Fulham, …

The voting window has closed, the numbers have been crunched and the finalists in the BMJ Industry Awards 2024 are revealed. The winners are: National Merchant of the Year City Plumbing Huws Gray Jewson Travis Perkins Wolseley Multiple Merchant of the Year Bradfords sponsored by Knauf Insulation JT Atkinson JT …

The Government has launched a taskforce to identify possible sites for a new generation of new towns. The programme aims to create large scale communities of at least 10,000 new homes each, with something being “significantly larger”. Regeneration expert Sir Michael Lyons will spearhead the “New Towns Taskforce” as its …

Construction materials supplier Aggregate Industries, has introduced Volvo electric trucks to its cement fleet, following a successful trial during the summer. The new trucks will be based out of the company’s Cauldon cement plant in Stoke, alongside its existing 60-strong fleet and several electric charging points, all of which represent a …