BUILDERS MERCHANTS: A-Z BRADFORD BUILDING SUPPLIES• BUILDER DEPOT Bradford Building Supplies
BRADFORD & SONS THE NUMBERS
2021 Turnover £m Gross profit £m
Operating profit £k Net profit £k Staff
THE RATIOS 2021 Stockturn Gross margin %
Operating margin % Net margin % Sales/head £k Profit/head £
Return on capital % BMJ INDEX
6.5
32.0 4.6 4.4
236
10,760 24.8
2022 6.6
30.6 4.2 4.0
251
10,517 23.4
2023 7.0
31.5 3.4 2.8
249
8,451 12.2 (20)
Founded in 1770 by William Bradford, Bradfords is still a 100% family owned business and has circa 1000 employees.
Starting out mainly supporting the local agricultural community in the south west, Bradfords developed along with its customer base through the Industrial revolution, and it was the arrival of the railways which really catalysed Bradfords’ growth. Jabez Bradford, William’s grandson, opened an office on a line at Yeovil Hendford, where the Yeovil branch and head office are today. In 2019, the group sold its importing and timber distribution business Snows Timber, and refocused the rest of its business on the merchant market. It also acquired Penzance based
Builder Depot
BUILDER DEPOT THE NUMBERS
2021 Turnover £m Gross profit £m
Operating profit £k Net profit £k Staff
THE RATIOS 2021 Stockturn Gross margin %
Operating margin % Net margin % Sales/head £k Profit/head £
Return on capital % BMJ INDEX
16 9.4
32.4 2.3 2.5
372
8,660 15.0
2022
10.6 29.9 2.5 3.1
391
9,873 17.1
2023
12.3 29.1 2.4 3.0
415
9,834 15.1 143
116.2 37.6
2,702 2,947 312
2022
126.3 37.8
3,189 3,945 323
2023
132.4 38.5
3,137 3,968 319
BUILDER DEPOT % CHANGE
21/22 9 0
18 34 4
% CHANGE
21/22 13 (8) 9
23 5
14 14
22/23 16 (3) (6) (4) 6
(0) (12)
22/23 5 2
(2) 1
(1)
Citroen Wells, Devonshire House, 1 Devonshire Street London W1W 5DR Tel: 0208 9200800
www.buildersdepot.co.uk
Branches: 4 Employees: 363
Managing Director/Directors:
Michael Arnold Aaronson, Hilda Aaronson, Chee Choong Cheah BMF Member
Builder Depot Ltd was founded in 2001 on industry experience of over 100 years as a specialist in timber & plywood. It has four warehouse based London branches, strategically located along the North Circular between North to West London. There are kitchen and bathroom showrooms at the Staples Corner, West Hampstead and New Southgate branches, the latter being the largest merchant site in London.
203.9 65.3
9,286 8,930 863
2022
224.0 68.5
9,392 8,903 893
2023
222.2 69.9
7,538 6,112 892
BRADFORD & SONS % CHANGE
21/22 10 5 1
(0) 3
% CHANGE
21/22 1
(4) (8) (9) 6
(2) (6)
22/23 7 3
(19) (31) (1)
(20) (48)
22/23 (1) 2
(20) (31) (0)
98 Hendford Hill Yeovil
Somerset, BA20 2QR
www.bradfords.co.uk Tel: 01935 842245
Branches: 48 Showrooms: 17
Branches Added in 2025: 1 Employees: 860
Chairman: John Colley Managing Director: David Young Other Directors: Lee Harwood
Approximate turnover for 2024: £220m Buying Group: H&B, PHG NMBS
BMF Member
TRAILBLAZERS
Solo Building Supplies, relocated the Sherborne Branch in Dorset to a purpose-built site and opened a brand new branch in Helston in 2020. In 2021, the new branch in Glastonbury opened, which includes one of the company’s first Sustainable Home Centre showrooms.
On March 31st 2025, it opened a brand new branch in Barnstaple, Devon at Unit 1, Sweet Briar Lane Roundswell Business Park Barnstaple EX31 3ZB. A one-stop shop, it offers building materials, garden & landscaping products, bathrooms, plumbing & heating, and plant & tool hire.
The group is also committed to supporting the communities it operates in, and has continued its sponsorship of grass roots sports
with partnerships in rugby union and Somerset Cricket Club. Bradfords charity initiatives includes fundraising for Movember, which it did in conjunction with England Rugby and Exeter Chiefs Centre Henry Slade.
A supplement to builders merchants journal April 2025
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