COMMENT The giving vein W


ow, where to start? It’s not often I sit down to write this piece and have such choice topics: Budget, merchant acquisition, merchant sales’ bounce-


back, the easing of lockdown, the shortage of materials... Let’s start with the 2021 Budget. Like the proverbial curate’s egg, it was good in parts. Actually, quite a few parts when you delve down into it; the curate might tuck in and emerge relatively sated.


The extension of the furlough scheme was expected - it had been leaked a great many places beforehand - and it will help a huge number of  their feet again as the economic recovery takes its faltering steps forward. The old adage that more companies go under when emerging from a recession than do during one is true. Similarly, the help with business rate grants will be welcomed and, for merchants’ customers, the self-employment grants will help many builders and tradespeople. That said, I do wonder if maybe it wouldn’t have been a good idea to tailor the furlough scheme a bit. Maybe target it slightly towards those industries, such as travel, hospitality and events, which may never really get back on their feet. I suspect there were companies whose owners simply rubbed their hands together with glee at the realisation that  government for a further six months, and that they could rest safe in the knowledge that their non- furloughed staff would continue to pick up the slack for furloughed colleagues as they have been doing for a year.


There were some pretty good nuggets in Rishi’s red box. Anyone anticipating spending capital sums on plant or equipment can now write off 130% of the cost - in effect a huge 30% subsidy on capital expenditure. Time to get those forklifts ordered or maybe invest in some laptops that actually, you know, work properly?


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EDITORIAL Group Managing Editor: Fiona Russell Horne 01622 699101 07721 841382 frussell-horne@datateam.co.uk


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Production Controller: Phil Hammond


The freezing of the tax thresholds was a clever move in accountancy terms; by the time it comes into effect next year, we may not even notice it. Anyway, it only really affects anyone who’s likely to get a pay rise or a decent bonus; most people will just carry on taking home the same amount they do now. When he was Chancellor, Gordon Brown did the same thing when he abolished the 10p tax bracket. By the time it happened, we’d all forgotten about it. I think the 1% pay increase for nurses is probably a mis-step politically speaking. A rise of 2% had already been agreed last year, With the huge sums that are being bandied about, would it have really added so much to just stick to the original? It was a pity that there was nothing really in the Budget about boosting the green economy, especially after the reduction in funding for the Green Homes Grant. But then that has not gone as swimmingly as might have been hoped. It seems as though Son of Green Deal has nearly as many operational 


All in all, Sunak acquitted himself pretty well. Slick, smiley, exquisitely tailored, measured, seemingly  Chancellor might have been expected to do and yet  hardships yet to come. His stance is that the best way to repay this humungous debt will be by having a strong economy and he is gambling that his actions now are the best way of ensuring that happens. Our Rishi is a man playing the long game, with his  address.


And now, alas, I seem to have run out of space to write about Grant & Stone’s continuing march across the south, the latest with Covid, or Brexit-caused supply issues. Tune in next month. BMJ


Fiona Russell-Horne Group Managing Editor - BMJ


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“ I can get no


remedy against this consumption of the purse: borrowing only lingers and lingers it out, but the disease is incurable


William Shakespeare


CONTENTS 4 Newsround


Merchant acquisitions pick up the pace.


8 News Extra


Merchants’ customers are more optimistic about the future, according to Travis Perkins’ latest survey.


10 Business Helpdesk Testing, testing.in the workplace.


11 BMJ INDUSTRY AWARDS LAUNCH Entries are now open for the awards event of the year.


14 Viewpoint Our guest commentators on recovering from the lockdowns, supply chain challenges, low- carbon construction and the digital age.


18 Merchant Focus Two more Rising Stars explain their route through the industry.


20 Training Focus  from its apprenticeship programme.


22 Landscaping Trends and developments and how to make the most of them.


28 Painting and decorating


New products and new initiatives for the upcoming season.


32 Rainwater management Flood management and rainwater issues


36 Industry Voice The BMF’s news and views.


39 Product News The latest product launches.


42 And Finally News and the crossword.


March 2021 www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net 3 ”


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