MERCHANT FOCUS: MKM
PEOPLE, PARTNERSHIPS AND PINCH-YOURSELF MOMENTS: 30 YEARS OF MKM
BMJ sat down with MKM founder David Kilburn, CEO Kate Tinsley and one of the ‘original 5’, Beverley Branch Director, Andy Beet, to reflect on three decades of growth.
BMJ: How did MKM come to life? David Kilburn: MKM didn’t start with some masterplan for hundreds of branches. It started in 1995 with five people, a lot of belief, and the idea that relationships are the things that drive transactions. I was almost 50 when I was made redundant, but I’d built up some fantastic relationships and had run a business before. When myself and my good friend Peter (Murray, one of the ‘M’s in MKM) got together and discussed the idea for building the best merchant in the region, we knew it was an idea worth chasing. In those early days, we had an old fire bell in our first warehouse. Every time an order came in, someone would ring it, and we’d all cheer. It became so constant that eventually we’d have needed someone standing there all day just pulling the rope. That camaraderie, that buzz of celebrating every win, that’s what laid the foundations for MKM.
Andy Beet: I was 26 when I joined MKM. It was a risk, but I was ready to do something different. I figured if it didn’t pan out, I’d find work elsewhere. But the energy in that small team was infectious. Everyone rolled up their sleeves, and those little victories felt enormous. That sense of shared ownership made it special.
It wasn’t all plain sailing of course. Competitors were telling suppliers we’d be bust within three months, and we had banks turning us down. That kind of pressure could have sunk us, but instead it pulled us tighter together. The setbacks just made the wins feel even bigger.
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Above: (L-R): David Kilburn, Janet, Peter Murray, and Andy Beet
DK: I’ll never forget the people who backed us when others wouldn’t. One supplier said, “Don’t worry, buy what you need and you can have six months without paying.” That kind of faith and loyalty meant the world, and it’s something we’ve always tried to repay, by being just as loyal in return.
BMJ: When did you realise this could become more than just one branch? DK: Honestly, expansion wasn’t on my radar at the start. The turning point came with Geoff at Driffield. That’s where we trialled the ownership model, giving him real equity with a 25% stake in the business. It worked brilliantly. It was like the bush telegrap; soon after, another friend in the industry asked about doing the same thing in Scarborough, and then Grimsby. That was when the penny dropped: maybe this wasn’t just a single-site business. People ask me if the ownership partnership was the best decision I ever made, but I couldn’t have known just what a game changer it would be. It was certainly my most fortuitous. If those guys hadn’t made a success of those early branches – we wouldn’t be doing this interview.
MKM Plymouth, charity event
AB: Those ownership partnerships were the game changer. When you give good people real responsibility, they don’t just run a branch, they live for it. That’s why we’ve always attracted entrepreneurial people. It’s not a job; it’s their business, and that’s powerful.
BMJ: MKM now has 135 branches plus specialist business Oceanair. What do you put that success down to? DK: It’s about the relationships. Pure and simple.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net October 2025
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