MERCHANT FOCUS: HUWS GRAY
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totally focussed on builders merchanting, and we are scaling up by bringing on board even more traditional merchanting businesses.” The Huws Gray business has been set up on what Owen likes to think of as old-fashioned values. “We prefer to own our properties. We buy every lorry, we buy every forklift, we like to put stock on the ground and we like to kit the branch out with sufficient people that allows it to be the best it can be. Although we have expanded by 200 or so branches, the reality is that Grafton bought some of the best businesses in order to grow to the size they did. We have been lucky over the years ourselves and have bought some real gems: Higgins most recently, Builders Supplies (West
Whitchurch branch
We prefer to own our properties. We buy every lorry, we buy every forklift, we like to put stock on the ground and we like to kit the branch out with sufficient people that allows it to be the best it can be.”
TERRY OWEN MANAGING DIRECTOR
Coast), Milford, and, of course, Ridgeons who were a household name. If you look at the businesses that Grafton acquired as they grew, they got the some of the cream of UK independents, and we are going to really benefit from having those back on board with a group that operates with our style of independent business outlook.”
Competition scrutiny The deal is of sufficient size and importance to attract the attention of the Competitions and Markets Authority. Until that scrutiny is completed, both sides of the business will continue to run separately, though there is no question of it not going ahead. “We
Saffron Walden
The Buildbase and (below) Civils & Lintels businesses are joining the Huws Gray family, following the deal with Grafton.
March branch August 2021
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
are committed to this, and we will see what the CMA decides when it completes its investigation. From our point of view, we believe there is very little overlap of branches, however. In many cases where there is a Buildbase branch, say, and a Huws Gray branch, there are also lots of other merchant brands. However, we won’t know what the CMA have decided until they have done all
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