DISTRIBUTION FOCUS: MARKOVITZ INSULATION & DRYLINING
their input on every decision. We have short enough reporting lines and great communication to ensure decisions are made and implemented quickly, something that will never change, however big we get. To make this all run smoothly there’s a management conference call at 4.30 every day. It was born out of COVID but we have continued it. Some days it lasts half-an-hour, some days five minutes, depending on what there is to catch up on. It means we aren’t firing emails off all the time, and then sitting around, wasting time, waiting for a response.”
Davies is very clear that, although Insulation & Drylining grew out of the builders merchant
“When we set up our new branches, we make sure that the managers understand the head office function is there for support.”
sector, Markovitz is now a bona-fide distributor. “We want to differentiate between the two. We’re very proud of our heritage as a builder’s merchant, it’s a massive part of the group, and an area where we will continue to invest. However, Insulation & Drylining is now the biggest, fastest growing part of our business. The customer base is a mix of national contractors and merchants, as well as smaller, more branch-based customers, including other local merchants. Davies says the growth is partly driven by the number of customers who want to have an alternative distribution option to deal with. “That’s especially true of some of the independent businesses we deal with,” he says. “They appreciate the fact that we have grown out of an independent merchant ourselves, so they understand where we are coming from. Likewise, we understand their needs and requirements because we are an independent at heart.”
Whether that customer is a builders’ merchant or a contractor, what they want is the same, Davies believes. “They want to
November 2023
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
know that when they place an order it will get to the site when we say it will. Things happen sometimes that are out of your control, but we’d always rather stay ahead, if there’s a problem, we pick up the phone and let everyone know what the situation is. Customer service is at the centre of everything we do.”
That service wouldn’t be possible without the support of suppliers, and Davies says that Markovitz Insulation & Drylining partner- suppliers have been unbelievably important in the growth of the business.
“We are in a unique position in that we are both a member of, and a distributor to, the h&b buying group, and most h&b members want to deal with us. Markovitz is the third largest business in h&b; it’s unusual to have a distributor sat inside a builders’ merchants buying group, but we have worked hard to make it work.”
Over the next 18 to 24 months, Davies says the plan is to add at least another two to four Markovitz Insulation & Drylining branches in new strategic locations. “Where we open tends to be where we find the right people. The actual locations are less important. That’s been the starting point with every branch so far. We find one or two key people, and then build a team around them. We want people who get what we are about: providing fabulous service at a competitive price. It’s all about winning together, a culture that exists right throughout the group. We’re a family business, with our customers at heart.” BMJ
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