COMPANY FOCUS: GRS PAVING


Right: Next Marfil Paving


Below right: Rasa Beige


Below left: Solace Almond


capability is a major focus. “In two or three years, we want to be digitally enabled across the whole journey, from live inventory and online ordering to tracking deliveries. The whole lot,” she says.


The goal is to shift conversations away from basic transactional queries and towards value creation. “I don’t want to spend time answering ‘what stock have you got? I want conversations to about how we sell more, how we improve service, how we meet customer needs,” she explains.


Sustainability is another area of focus, building on GRS’s heritage in recycled materials. “GRS has deep roots in sustainability. We were one of the first to work with recycled aggregates, and we want to build on that within paving,” she adds. Progress is already being made, including reducing plastic packaging and improving logistics efficiency.


“We’ve got our own fleet, so we can optimise deliveries, avoiding empty return journeys and improving overall efficiency,” she notes. The ambition is to develop a clearer sustainable paving offer for merchants, something Wilkins believes is currently lacking in the market. GRS Paving is also strengthening its technical capability, bringing in expertise from landscaping and installation backgrounds.


“We’re bringing in people who’ve run their own landscaping businesses. They understand both the product and how it’s installed, and


that’s invaluable for merchants,” Wilkins says.


That expertise supports


everything from resolving queries to enabling specification work. A dedicated specification team is already working with merchants, housebuilders, architects and designers. “We can help break down specifications and offer value-engineered alternatives; importantly, we do that through the merchant,” she explains. This creates new opportunities for merchants to win and service larger projects.


Recognising that many homeowners find builders’ merchants intimidating, GRS Paving is also working to improve the in- branch experience. “If we can help make the environment more welcoming, with better displays, better samples, that helps our customers sell,” Wilkins says. New display solutions are being developed to support this, alongside digital and physical tools to guide customer choice. “It’s about the whole journey, as opposed to just handing over a brochure.”


The company provides a wide range of delivery options, from single pallets to full loads, as well as split packs, with the aim of removing barriers, rather that letting merchants be stuck with stock they can’t move. The ability to supply both paving and decorative aggregates further supports stock management and efficiency.


July 2026 www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net


The business is aiming to double again, but Wilkins stresses that it’s not about chasing every opportunity or over-promising, so much as growing with the customers and doing it well. “We’re very conscious of not growing too quickly and letting people down,” she says. Like the rest of the sector, GRS Paving does face some uncertainties in the market, which is being battered by cost pressures and global events. “We don’t know what the market’s going to do this year. No-one really does, thanks to all the variables, from cost of living pressures to global supply issues,” Wilkins says. Cost inflation is already a reality, particularly in logistics. “We’re seeing a steady increase in inbound costs, which we haven’t passed on yet, but there will come a point where we have to,” she says. “We need to be successful to invest in the future, but we also need to support our customers. It’s about getting that balance right.”


Ultimately, she says GRS Paving’s strategy is about building sustainable, long-term relationships with merchants. “This isn’t about grabbing every contract going, it’s about building trust, delivering value and growing together. We want to be the paving partner merchants rely on, and we’re building everything around that.” BMJ


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