NEWSROUND


BMF officially launches Building Material Careers campaign


The national launch of the Building Materials Careers campaign, led by the Builders Merchants Federation, was unveiled in London on February 5.


The programme is the culmination of more than two years of cross-industry collaboration. It will connect with all target audiences, from school leavers and influencers on younger people to career changers, and those with skills from other sectors. It will make use of both mainstream and social media channels, direct engagement via open days, school and college


visits, apprentice and careers exhibitions, and will utilise every BMF channel, including its Young Merchant Group, Ambassadors and Social Media Influencers, to amplify campaign messages. Almost 300 companies have already engaged with the programme, many sharing their own experiences and career journeys on the dedicated bmcareers.com website, the central hub of the campaign that provides a window on the opportunities available. A National Launch Action Pack, available to BMF members, will help to build a consistent


MKM adds four for February


Builders merchant chain MKM Building Supplies is continuing its growth plans across the UK with the opening of four new branches in February, taking its total to 134. The new branches are: MKM Plymouth, which opened February 3rd, led by Branch Directors Mike Kerslake and Simon Channings. MKM Bridgend, led by Branch Directors Shaun Cox and Jonathan Thomas, opened on February 10th, while Branch


Director Paul Painter is in charge at MKM Bangor. This branch is in in Parc Bryn Cegin, on a site that has remained vacant for over 20 years. Meanwhile, MKM Cheltenham, opens on February 24th led by Branch Directors Dave McCombie and Jamie Cole, both with nearly two decades of experience in the industry.


James Burrell renews FORS accreditation


James Burrell has retained the prestigious FORS Silver accreditation for 2025. This achievement is the outcome of meticulous compliance with standards designed to


improve road risk management, enhance safety efficiency, and promote environmental sustainability.


The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) is a voluntary accreditation initiative for fleet operators, designed to elevate the quality of fleet operations and recognise those operators who exemplify best practices in safety, fuel efficiency, vehicle emissions, and operational improvements.


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identity for Building Materials and increase its visibility to those outside the sector.


Richard Hill, Chair of the BMF,


said: “Too few people in the UK are aware of all that the sector has to offer and that impacts on recruitment opportunities. To tackle this, the campaign centres around two main objectives to launch Building Materials as a


clear sector in its own right as part of the broader construction industry and to position Building Materials as a desirable place to work, to help BMF members tackle the skills gap. By establishing Building Materials as a distinct sector, it becomes distinguishable from the wider construction industry, defining the role of builders’ merchants and suppliers who make, sell and distribute all the products needed for the UK’s building and construction projects.”


Lords sees positive momentum


Builders merchant group Lords is expecting its 2024 revenue to be £436m, compared with £463m for 2023, according to a trading update. The merchanting division delivered a strong final quarter with Q4 revenue 11% higher than Q4 FY23, and second half like-for-like revenue 2.3% up on the second half of 2023. AW Lumb, which performed strongly in the second half and delivered a 5% full year increase in revenue on FY23. The specialist roofing business, Advanced Roofing, was 10% ahead. Revenue for the division for the year, subject to audit, is expected to be in line with last year at £214 million. The plumbing and heating side saw weaker market conditions in Q4, with revenue falling 17% below the same period in 2023. The Merchanting division’s performance was ahead of expectations, particularly at Shanker Patel, Chief Executive Officer of Lords, said: “In a challenging year across our end markets, the fundamentals of


our business in customer service excellence, highly engaged colleagues and specialist brands have underpinned a resilient performance in 2024. We are particularly pleased to see Merchanting’s strong relative performance in the final quarter. We continue to tightly control costs and to optimise working capital. Net debt was reduced by £4.1 million in the second half. As market conditions begin to improve, we are confident that the Group is exceptionally well positioned for operational leverage to improve profitability, with ongoing organic and acquisitive growth.”


www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net February 2025


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