THE MONTH September
surge for construction
Independent builders merchant chains Grant & Stone and Huws Gray have continued with their acquisition plans, purchasing3Counties Timber & Building Supplies Limited and Milford Building Supplies, respectively.
Construction industry activity grew at its fastest rate for five years as the latest IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction Total Activity Index showed 56.8 in September up from 54.6 in August. In April it fell to 8 because of the UK lockdown. Respondents were also the most confident about their future prospects for seven months. The strongest performing category was home building, where firms showed a sharp expansion in activity for the fourth month running. Commercial projects also rose strongly, increasing at quickest pace for over two years, although civil engineering activity fell for the second month running, at the sharpest rate since May. Eliot Kerr, Economist at IHS Markit, which compiles the survey said: “Following August’s slowdown, growth in UK construction activity rebounded strongly in September. “Forward-looking indicators point to a sustained rise in activity, with new work increasing at the quickest pace since before the lockdown.”
Duncan Brock, Group Director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply said: “Government support schemes are winding down, so the bigger worry remains levels of job creation. “With another drop in
employment numbers, vacancies were sparse and further redundancy schemes could be on the cards once this pent-up demand for work is satisfied.”
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3Counties Timber & Building Supplies has branches in Aylesbury and Hemel Hempstead; its acquisition extends Grant & Stone’s geographic network beyond the Thames Valley. 3Counties’ managing director Richard Dawson will join Grant & Stone, working with Mat Miller, managing director of Grant & Stone’s Builders & Timber Merchants division, to support the successful integration. Last year, Grant & Stone was acquired by private equity firm Cairngorm Capital Partners. Dawson said, “The Directors are proud of all that we have achieved to date but we recognise that
the company has the potential to achieve much more. This is the natural point for us to pass the company to new, trusted custodians who can deliver on its future potential. We are confident that 3Counties is in good hands and will go from strength to strength.” Milford Building Supplies was set up 41 years ago, on a single site on Cardigan Road in Headingley. The business grew steadily through the 80’s and 90’s and a second site was acquired in 1997.
Matthew Owen, head of acquisitions for Huws Gray Group said “We are delighted to be actively on the acquisition trail
Keyline opens plastic specialist branch
Keyline Civils Specialist, the civils and drainage products merchant, has opened its first dedicated Keyline Plastics Specialist branch. The branch, in Gravesend, offers customers an increased range of plastic civils and drainage products including underground drainage, utility ducting, stormwater management solutions, duct and access chambers, channel drainage, manhole covers and gully grates, geotechnics, service pipes and accessories.
The more specialised focus ensures the branch has a large quantity of each product in stock at all times and bespoke systems can be arranged and delivered. The company has seen a
significant increase in the demand for plastic civils and drainage products, as Paul Beaman, managing director at Keyline explains: “Keyline’s nationwide network of specialist civils branches already hold a very comprehensive stock of plastic civils and drainage (in project quantities) as part of their core range of products. However, Keyline is investing heavily in expanding its plastics ranges to ensure that customers’ needs can be met. The Gravesend Keyline Plastics Specialist branch is part of our strategy to deliver this. The colleagues at our Gravesend branch offer more than 70 years of civils merchant experience between them to support customers in the South East.” Additional Keyline Plastics Specialist branches are planned to open throughout the UK in the coming months.
again, and optimistic about the future. Milford Building Supplies, is a merchant with similar ‘customer- first’ values to the Huws Gray Group.”
John Middleton-Walker, Milford Executive Chairman, said:“We are delighted to be handing the business over to safe hands. Huws Gray are a progressive company, who will take Milford Building Supplies forward. They also recognise the value staff can add to a business.”
The acquisition is the first in the Leeds area for Huws Gray and significantly strengthens the company’s presence in Yorkshire.
BMF Conference 2021 heads home
Merchants continue on acquisition trail
The Builders Merchants Federation is taking delegates to the cities of York and Harrogate for its Annual All Industry Conference from June 17 to 20th 2021.
The Conference theme is Building Beyond Boundaries and delegates will have the choice of two four-star Harrogate hotels – the Majestic and the Crowne Plaza – which together can accommodate 350 guests. A key difference to 2021 Conference programme is the addition of a Supplier Exhibition, replacing the Merchant/Supplier Exchange sessions.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net October 2020
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