Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
Spärka has expanded its senior management team by appointing Rebecca Fortescue-Halliwell as marketing manager.
Rebecca brings 13 years of previous experience working within product development and marketing in the construction industry from her previous role at TIMco. As marketing manager, she assisted with building TIMco’s brand and launched many products as well as developed the TIMco website into an eCommerce platform.
Since she joined the company, Rebecca has been focussing on the Spärka brand as well as developing new packaging and creating the first Spärka catalogue. 
Rebecca joins founders Kelvin Hughes, Mark Hughes, and Joshua Watkins who started the company in July 2019 and have 65 years of combined experience within construction and engineering.
Based in Sheffield, Spärka provides a full range of fire-rated door hardware to builders’ merchants and fixings retailers across the UK. The family-owned business has a long heritage of supplying the construction sector, sourcing UK-designed products from its global supply base.
Commenting on her appointment Rebecca said: “I’m delighted to join such a young, dynamic company who knows the construction industry so well. The products Spärka offers are designed to help make its customers’ lives easier by providing high-quality, tested, and certified products and information all in one pack as well as a wide range of individual products.
“I can’t wait to work with the Spärka team as well as our builders’ merchant customers to promote our industry-leading door hardware across the UK.”
Spärka’s knowledge and experience have led to it securing well-known national customers such as Travis Perkins and Toolstation as well as many independent builders’ merchants and retailers.
The company offers products in simple packs including bathroom lock and hinge packs as well as a sash lock and hinge packs. The ranges are also available in a variety of finishes and sizes. The packs offer everything a builder needs in one simple, recyclable cardboard box or recyclable plastic bag.
The packaging is also tamper-proof, helping ensure all the components remain in the packaging and not on the merchant’s floor, and comes complete with installation and user guides.
Spärka sells more than 150 SKUs including door handles, latches, locks, keyholes, thumb-turns, and door closers in a range of finishes. All of its products are tried and tested both at the factory in the Far East as well as on arrival in the UK. This allows the business to offer market-leading guarantees of up to 35 years and for its products to be certified to all the key levels including – Certifire, CE/UKCA marking, FD 30/60, and IFC Certification.
