IN PERSON
no longer be a managing director role as such. “Ben Chandler, my cousin, is finance director, and Richard Penney, my son, is commercial director . They each have their own responsibilities and things that they cover, and I think it will work well. If they have to make decisions of any magnitude, they’ll discuss it with the other directors, Simon and Charlie, and agree what needs to be done. For us as a business, I’m not sure we need that managing director role at the moment,” she says.
Technology change
One of the biggest changes that Chandler says she has seen over the years is the increased use of technology. “There was no looking something up instantly, it took time and a phone call to a manufacturer to ask them to post you out a manual. The way technology has allowed us to save time on research and processes, freeing us up to do other stuff is a great change.
“Marketing too, is now something that we have to do. In the old days, we just got bigger organically, but as time went on, we realised that we needed to go out there and make a name for ourselves. If we didn’t go and get the business it would otherwise go to one of our competitors. “
She adds that there will be further changes and the workplace continues to adapt to modern ways of working. “A big focus of ours over the next few years will be on hours. When I returned to work after maternity leave, it was a full-time role, generally hours weren’t flexible, and that of course caused issues for people with families. Things have changed now, and we know that we need to be able to match the flexibility offered by other industries if we are to remain attractive as an employment prospect, whilst still remaining true to the needs of the business.” It’s far less unusual to find a woman in a
leadership role than it was when Chandler started work, she explains. “Being a woman in a predominantly male industry definitely give our company a different feel to others. Maybe less so now, but certainly when I first became managing director. I can remember getting a bit hung up over the cleaning contract, and how filthy the carpet was. Yes, I knew we were a builders’ merchant not a bank, but I still wanted customers to come in and feel that, if we were taking care of our business and our premises, then we would take care of them and their business.”
Different conversations She says that, often, on the sales counter, it would be just her and another lady, and that customers appreciated being able to come in and have a different sort of conversation to those they would have in the yard or on the building site. “ It just gives a different feel to the place, and a slightly different outlook. With our customer base mostly being made up of the one-man band businesses, often the customers just want to have a chat with someone if they’ve been in the van and on site with just the radio for company.”
May 2025
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
What hasn’t changed though, is the fact that it is still very much a people industry; the relationships are still as important. She says: “Whilst we can use technology, it is still all about the customer, as long as we can keep that, as an industry, we’ll be OK. If we lose our focus on the customers, on the people, there will be another seismic change.” One of the biggest leaps forward for the company, and for Chandler, was when the company joined NBG as a buying group Partner. She explains: “The benefits of being in what, for us, was the best buying group, made a huge difference. Being able to buy so much better meant we could compete with our local competitors, on a level playing field. “To be honest, I had always felt a bit weird that I cared about, and loved my work so much, but when I joined NBG and went to my first regional meeting, I realised that I wasn’t the only one. It felt like coming home. I had found my tribe, people who cared and loved their businesses as much as I did mine. They are what I will miss the most now I’m retired. It’s the people who make this industry such a brilliant one to have spent 44 years in. I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.” BMJ
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