55.5 IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction PMI Total
Activity Index showed the fastest rise in four months.
223,000 workers have left the construction
industry since the start of the pandemic, according to the CPA
Minster opens new branch
Minster is opening a new branch in Leeds. The 26,000 square foot outlet is located on a two acres site at Lake Terrace in Hunslet – adjacent to sister distributor Jewson Civils Frazer. The opening of the new branch forms part of Minster’s expansion strategy, it will amplify the specialist distributor’s capacity to support projects across the Yorkshire area. The opening of the branch has also created six new jobs in the area encompassing both commercial
and driver roles, increasing the network of specialist Minster branches to 26 across England, Wales and Scotland. David Furlong, regional director at Minster said: “We’re really excited about the opening of our new Leeds branch and the opportunities it will create. Having a central base in the area has been one of our strategic goals for some time and will enhance our ability to provide our unrivalled support and expertise to local projects.”
Prime Minister visits Travis Perkins with BMF CEO
Prime Minister Boris Johnson took a tour of the Travis Perkins’ branch in South Ruislip, alongside Frank Elkins, Chief Operating Officer of Travis Perkins plc and John Newcomb, CEO of the Builders Merchants Federation last month.
Elkins said, “As the industry’s leading Apprenticeship and Kickstart placements provider we outlined how these placements are supporting both the economic recovery, the development of our talent pipeline but also an opportunity to improve diversity and skills across our industry”. The visit was organised by
the BMF as part of its industry and parliament programme, to highlight the vital role played by builders’ merchants in the construction supply chain. Newcomb gave the Prime Minister an overview of how its members perform an essential function in distributing construction materials and home improvement products across the UK. He also explained how the industry is actively embracing a more sustainable focus. He said: “We were delighted to show to the Prime Minister how our members can support a more sustainable future. It was
a particularly timely visit, with the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference taking place”. “Low or zero-carbon products
are crucial in the building and home improvement industries to drive down emissions. We were able to demonstrate to the Prime Minister that the building supply chain is the most efficient route- to-market for these products”.
TN International UK & Ireland acquires Chesterfelt
Superglass Insulation parent company TN International has acquired bitumen roofing manufacturer Chesterfelt Ltd. The deal adds production capacity to TNi’s building product portfolio.
Established in 1978, Chesterfelt has over 40 years’ experience manufacturing and distributing bituminous waterproofing products from a manufacturing and warehousing facility in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The addition of a UK-based
production facility in the roofing sector will earn the environmental benefits of reduced transport miles and will also offer welcome service and logistics advantages to UK customers.
December 2021
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
Theresa McLean, Area Director of TN International for UK & Ireland, said: “Chesterfelt is a highly respected brand within the UK’s roofing market and will complement our existing manufacturing expertise for glass wool insulation in the UK. Increasingly our customers in the construction industry are looking for whole building envelope solutions, and this acquisition is another key advance in TNi’s ability to meet those requirements.”
“The location of the Leeds branch is great, it is only 10 minutes from the city centre and is adjacent to the local motorway network. Being situated alongside Jewson Civils Frazer is another major plus.”
3.4% rise in house prices in three
onths: the fastest pace since 2006, says Halifax.
NEWS IN BRIEF
¡ Northern Ireland based paving and building products firm, AG, has switched to 100% renewable energy with the help of Electric Ireland. Stephen Acheson, CEO at AG says the firm will continue to reduce its carbon footprint where possible. “We are very excited to announce our switch to 100% renewable energy as we attempt to reduce our Co2 emissions and wastage across all of our sites.”
¡ Davroc has a new strategic partnership for nationwide distribution of the full Carron Bathrooms range. Davroc have been in the bathroom distribution and manufacturing industry since 1980; other brands it distributes include Laufen, Bette, Roca, Aqualisa, Grohe, VitrA and more recently Alca and Drench.
¡ The failure of the Green Homes Grant Scheme was a disappointment and the Government must learn from these findings to ensure similar, future schemes work better, says the Federation of Master Builders in response to the release of the Public Accounts Committee’s report into the “underperforming” Green Homes Grants Scheme. Brian Berry, CEO, said: “This stop-go green initiative undermined certainty for both the public and builders in trying to stimulate demand for energy efficient home improvements. The Government needs a National Retrofit Strategy which sets out a clear, long- term plan to upgrade our existing homes and would go some way to restore faith in green initiatives with the public and industry.”
5
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 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
