PHG hit the ground running

The Plumbing Heating Group (PHG) has expressed its delight and surprise at the quick progression of the company having passed the halfway point of its first year in operation.
The recently formed specialist plumbing and heating buying group was born out of 17 former CBA and Cemco members wanting to come together to create something unique in the industry in terms of specialism, expertise and ethos.

David Pochin, chairman of PHG, said: “The four strands of the group all came together with different operating cultures and I and others thought that it would take us at least a year to get the group operating in anything like a cohesive fashion.

“How wrong we were – a robust operating structure was soon implemented around our Plumbing, Heating and Bathrooms committees and the group just hit the ground running, getting straight down to business and quickly agreeing common purchasing terms to the advantage of all.”

Under its own-brand committee chairman, John Dicken of Ridgeons, the company has launched a ground-breaking collection of bathroom products: “Our Instinct label own brand offering has really hit the spot in a market craving value,” said Dicken. “We have sourced these products almost exclusively from our incumbent suppliers who have been delighted to get agreements that are supported by every single PHG member.”

PHG started out with shower doors and enclosures and have already added shower mixers, bathroom taps, Doc M packs and bathroom furniture to its bathroom collection.

“It speaks volumes for the abilities of the people that sit around the PHG table that we have achieved so much in such a short time,” said Pochin. “But it is still early days and there is a lot more to come from the group in the near future. In the short term though we shall concentrate on our negotiations for 2014 where we shall be offering our suppliers the opportunity to enjoy further growth with us.”