NEWSROUND Tom Reynolds to be next BMF CEO


Tom Reynolds, former Chief Executive of the British Brands Group, and, before that, of the British Bathroom Association, will be the new Chief Executive Officer of the Builders Merchants Federation. Reynolds will take


up his post on November 9; his appointment is part of the leadership transition at the BMF, which will see Chairman Richard Hill retiring at the end of October and current CEO John Newcomb stepping into the new role of


Lawsons reports resilient six months


Independent south-east builders merchant Lawsons Group delivered a ‘resilient performance’ in the six-months to December 31 2025. It was the first such


announcement since the group changed its ownership structure in March.


In the six months to December 31, the group saw turnover of £78.8m. Gross profit and gross margin percentage for the six- month period were £31.5m and 40.0% espectively.


BMF Executive Chairman.


At the British Brands Group, Reynolds


championed the value of brands to the UK economy and led the Group’s work to strengthen


members’ capabilities and influence key policy areas. At the Bathroom


Manufacturers Association, he represented manufacturers across the bathroom products sector, working with members,


The performance was set against a backdrop of challenging market conditions across the construction sector and positions the business well for future growth and investment.


Lawsons group finance director Chris Harrison, said: “These results demonstrate the strength, resilience and long-term thinking that have always characterised Lawsons.


“While many businesses in our sector have faced significant challenges, we have continued to invest in our people, our branches, our customer proposition and our future. The decision to move our year-end to 31st December provides better


SIG plans £100m programme to increase efficiency as market struggles


Building materials distributor SIG posted a pre-tax loss of £21.6m in the six months to June 30 2026, a better result than the same time last year’s £33.1m losses.


Following these results, the company is pushing ahead with its efficiency drive to save £100m by the end of next year as underperforming businesses


4


will be closed or sold-off. The distributor wants to improve its operating profits to £50m by the second half of 2028, and plans to save via a combination of business simplification, disposals, business improvement and working capital optimisation efficiency drive as the market continues to struggle.


government, regulators and industry partners on product compliance, sustainability, water efficiency, skills and market confidence.


Hill said: “Tom is an experienced CEO within the membership organisation sector, combining strategic insight with hands-on expertise. He understands how proactive trade associations help members manage complexity, adapt to change, and grow. “The BMF has expanded substantially in size, scope, and influence in recent years. With


comparability with our industry peers and a reporting cycle that more closely reflects the seasonal nature of our business.” l The group has also has announced two additions to its leadership team.


Ciaran Morton has been promoted to group commercial director, while Steve Wakeman joins Lawsons as group operations & logistics director, a newly created role overseeing group operations, logistics, safety and transport functions, embedding best practice across the branch network, continuing to work alongside the specialist leadership of Dan Hearne and Joe Gillespie.


In a trading update the company said: “Whilst trading in the first half improved sequentially, no material recovery in market conditions in H2 2026 is anticipated and, therefore, the Board now expects the FY 2026 underlying operating profit to be c. £25m. Liquidity levels are expected to remain healthy going forward and will benefit from the stronger seasonal cash generation profile in the second half.”


this recruitment, I will step down confident that the Board has a strong management team in place to lead the BMF into its next chapter.”


Reynolds said: “I am delighted to be joining the BMF as its new Chief Executive. Builders’ merchants and the wider building materials supply chain are a crucial part of this country’s fabric — supporting communities, enabling construction, sustaining jobs, and helping to deliver the homes, infrastructure and growth that the UK needs.”


Aquisitions boost Lords’ figures


Builders merchant group Lords Group Trading plc has released its H1 trading update ahead of the Group’s interim results in September.


Covering the six month period up to June 30 2026, the H1 Summary reported a group revenue of £232.0 million (H1 2025: £232.8 million), a resilient performance bolstered by contributions from four new Merchanting branches and the acquisition of CMO, offsetting weaker underlying demand in the wider market.


Shanker Patel, chief executive officer, said: “Whilst our end markets remain challenging, the Group has again demonstrated resilience during the first half. Merchanting improved steadily through the second quarter, CMO has moved to positive EBITDA and we have taken decisive action to improve the performance of our P&H business. Although the recovery in our end markets is taking longer than expected, we remain focused on cash generation, operational execution and delivering sustainable shareholder value as our markets recover.”


www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net August 2026


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40