NEWSROUND Civils & Lintels opens training academy


Civils & Lintels, part of the Huws Gray group of companies, has opened its first-ever national training academy at its ‘London Civils’ site in Hayes, near Heathrow.


Developed in partnership with manufacturers including ACO Water Management, Fernco, Marshalls, and A.Proctor Group, the academy is intended to be


a truly collaborative experience with those partners playing an active role in delivering product- led training. It was formally opened by Huws Gray group CEO, Daksh Gupta, who said: “It has been an honour to officially open this new facility. Investing in our people is vital if we’re to deliver outstanding service for our customers.”


Drainfast moves north with Doncaster depot Specialist drainage merchant


Drainfast is to open a new depot in Doncaster, from the start of February.


The strategically located depot will significantly extend the company’s reach across the North of England, allowing it to better support civils and groundworks contractors throughout Yorkshire and Lancashire.


“We chose Doncaster very deliberately,” said managing director Trevor James. “Its


Travis Perkins bags recycled aggregate trial


Builders’ merchant Travis Perkins is trialling a new part-recycled aggregate product with Day Aggregates. The merchant is putting an


proximity to the A1 and M62 gives us excellent access across Yorkshire and Lancashire, allowing us to support sites in cities like Leeds, Sheffield,


Work starts on new Lawton Tubes HQ


Lawton Tubes is set to open a new £20m facility next year to meet growing domestic demand. The new solar-powered premises, across the road from its current headquarters in Coventry, will include a 107,768 sq ft warehouse along with 17,220 sq ft of office space and welfare areas and a 40-metre service yard. Managing director of operations Giles Lawton, said: “Our new headquarters is about doubling down on what has defined our business’ success over the past 107 years: backing UK plc. Our copper tube and fittings are one of the hidden foundations which keeps Britain moving – whether it is carrying oxygen to NHS hospital beds, helping


6


National Grid in keeping millions of homes warm, or supporting Network Rail in keeping engines train-ready.


“The sectors that we supply


into are endless, and with that comes ongoing rising demand, which this new HQ will enable to us meet as we strive to continue innovating and become the number one supplier of fittings in the UK by 2030.”


Manchester, Liverpool, Hull and York. Opening a fourth depot in Doncaster is a natural next step for us as we build on our strong base of long-standing customers in London, the South East and the Midlands. “This expansion is an investment in the future. As construction activity continues to strengthen in the North of England, we want to be there, ready to support contractors with the speed, certainty and service.”


FutureBuild and UK Construction Week join up for London event


Two construction industry events, UK Construction Week London and Futurebuild, will come together from May 12-14 2026, creating a new national platform for the built environment at Excel London. Together, the events will bring 25,000 built environment professionals, 600+ exhibitors and 700+ speakers across 10 dedicated stages under one roof - making it the largest and most comprehensive construction event in the UK calendar. Each will retain their own identities, communities and curated content .


initial 25,000 bags of the newly formulated Ecoblend, which includes up to 30% of recycled construction and demolition waste to make MOT Type 1, in selected branches in the South East and South West. The blend is produced to BS EN Standards and Standards for Highway Specifications. Senior category manager


aggregates, John Duffy, said: “Aggregate reserves are dwindling and construction and new housing sectors are already using recycled aggregates to cope with that. Ultimately, a transition towards a recycled solution in the merchant sector has become not just desirable but inevitable.”


Wolseley to add second fulfilment centre


Wolseley Group is to open a sec- ond specialist fulfilment centre to support customers delivering large or complex renewables projects. Located in Darlington, the new fulfilment centre builds on the success of the Measham Fulfil- ment Centre. The two sites form part of a long-term infrastructure strategy designed to expand spe- cialist capacity, improve resilience across the supply chain and sup- port customers. CEO at Wolseley Group, Patrick


Berard, said: “This investment marks another important step in building a supply chain that is fit for the future.”


www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net February 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